


Love, Betrayal, and All That Follows

by Victorious56



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Blow Job, Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, I mean just the suggestion of shenanigans, M/M, Making Up, Masturbation, Mild Smut, Misunderstandings, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, also only implied and not explicit, approaching the outskirts of Schneewood Forest, guard dogs making a quiet entrance, implied bumbleby, lots of talking, not explicit, nothing graphic, only implied
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 76,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: When your day job is trying to save the world, the idea of discovering love along the way doesn’t enter your head. So when Qrow finds himself in Atlas, dealing with love is as unexpected as the betrayal that follows.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 137
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This kicks off mid-way through Volume 7 and goes its own way from that point.  
> Mostly fairly light-hearted relationship stuff to start with, and a few angsty moments. The emphasis is on Qrow and Clover, but other characters join the story as we go on, with a developing mystery to be solved.
> 
> If you want to start from farther back, in a non-canon kind of way, the series [_Early Days_](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708144) follows a slower path through Qrow and Clover's developing relationship, and overlays the first two chapters of this story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the day your life will surely change  
>  _This is the Day - The The_
> 
> ❖

Atlas was not Qrow’s favourite place. Pondering the thought, he decided there were few places he actually liked; Atlas was probably at the bottom of a rather long list.

He appreciated they had to be here. It was the only safe place for the Lamp of Knowledge which had to be kept away from Salem, and honestly, everyone needed a break from the constant travelling. But Atlas...

Everything was so... regimented. From the identical pastel-coloured quarters they’d been given, to the constant briefings and debriefings, to the necessity of filling out paperwork just to get more tea from the stores.

Qrow sighed, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. He had to admit although his room was small, and the bed narrower than he preferred—he tended to sprawl out in his sleep when he got the chance—it wasn’t so bad having a base. Somewhere to return to at the end of the day, rather than having to scout around for whatever shelter presented itself. His lip curled. If he wasn't careful he'd be putting down roots.

And the military organisation which underpinned the smooth running of the city? Qrow was definitely not a fan—the whole ‘but at least the trains run on time’ justification baffled him—but even he had to confess not having to think about the basics of his day was something of a relief after all they’d had to deal with lately.

And then of course, there was Specialist Ace Operative Clover Ebi. Clover. The ever-cheerful, optimistic, supportive Clover. Clean-cut, unnecessarily good-looking, eyes a shade of green which Qrow had never seen before—

Qrow got the whole good fortune thing; Clover’s life was the inverse of his. It had confused him initially, because people didn’t tend to react to him the way Clover did. Qrow knew it couldn’t last, his own semblance was bound to start dragging Clover down eventually... but it hadn’t so far. They’d been in Atlas for around two months now, and the guy was as irrepressible as ever. Qrow caught himself smiling. Now that was a strange sensation, and one he’d been experiencing more and more lately. Not that it could have anything to do with Specialist Ace Operative Clover Ebi, of course. The fact he was sober—for now at least, he reminded himself grimly—was surely the reason. That must be it. _Obviously._

❖

Clover Ebi enjoyed his work. He enjoyed the organisation and predicability of military life, and he enjoyed the responsibility General James Ironwood had entrusted to him when he was made leader of the Ace Ops team. He had the knack of getting along with all kinds of personalities, a knack he'd been grateful for during the last six months or so, while his team got to know each other. It wasn't really bonding, Clover mused, but an essential requirement for a small team which had to work together in a variety of situations. He didn't think any of them would become firm friends, but they were becoming a cohesive unit and that was more important.

He maintained this philosophy for himself too. Never a good idea to mix up friendships and work commitments. He'd managed to keep the two quite separate thus far, and he intended to keep it that way. Or rather, he _had_ intended...

And then Huntsman Qrow Branwen arrived. A colleague who was well on the way to becoming a friend. _Just a friend_ , Clover told himself firmly. _No reason to believe he'd want anything more anyway._

No, that was certainly not on the agenda. But Clover had found himself warming to Qrow, something he hadn't expected at the start. Qrow travelled light but he carried a lot of baggage, Clover discovered when he did a little research before Qrow's arrival with his gaggle of nieces and assorted other youngsters. A skilled Huntsman and inspiring teacher, yet also a loner with a sizeable share of family problems and his own personal demons which, as fas as Clover could ascertain, seemed to reside in the bottom of whatever bottle Qrow had to hand. A distinct aversion to authority too, which inclined Clover to think here was a man who'd excelled in some aspects of his life, but had monumentally failed in others. Not someone Clover would usually admire, even though the General spoke of Qrow with more than a little warmth in his voice. But still—

So when he first met Qrow—discounting the initial "We’re here to arrest you" scenario, which Qrow hadn't enjoyed too much—he was surprised. He'd expected a brash, egotistical individual who would be only too happy to rail against the authority General Ironwood wished to impose on him. Certainly Qrow was clearly not entirely at ease with the Atlas ethos, but his slim physique and self-deprecating demeanour were unexpected, and had caught Clover off-guard. As they had chatted, and Clover learned of Qrow's semblance which could bring misfortune to those he became close to, as well as to himself, he'd decided to make it his job to boost Qrow a little. Nothing too obvious, just a few positive comments here and there to bolster his confidence. And he'd seen Qrow's confusion and surprise that someone would even try this approach, although as Clover had pointed out to him, "My good luck semblance is just the thing to help counteract your misfortune. Once you get in the habit of thinking about yourself more positively, I think you'll find it starts to come naturally."

Clover hadn't thought about it too much to start with; it was his job to get the best out of those he worked with. But then that evening at the Schnee Manor when Qrow had smiled at Clover, his red eyes seeming to warm as he did so, things had started to change. And Clover wasn't at all sure this was a good thing. That smile... was there something more than friendship in it? Clover found himself hoping there was. _Where did this come from?_ he asked himself, suddenly aware that when he dwelt upon Qrow’s smile, the desire to kiss his mouth forced its way into his thoughts. _Oh, come on!_ he chided himself, _you’re not a teenager now. Not even in your twenties. This can’t be happening..._

But Clover had to be honest with himself. Whatever this was, it _was_ happening and it might make working with Qrow Branwen just a _little_ difficult.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am the lightning looking for the earth  
> And you are the copper, for what it's worth  
>  _Copper - Thea Gilmore_
> 
> ❖

There was half an hour to go before the day’s training sessions were due to begin. Qrow was trying to encourage the kids to start heading for the training simulator. He was not succeeding. They gathered round him in the hallway and it was obvious to Qrow they were going nowhere until the matter was resolved.

"Oh come on Uncle Qrow," Ruby’s tone was pleading. "We haven’t had a proper night out in weeks and everyone wants to do it and we even got Marrow to agree to come."

Qrow looked down at her excited face and experienced a jolt in his stomach. She was so young, really, and all this shit had been thrust upon her and the others too soon. They had coped amazingly well, given the circumstances, and they never failed to impress him with their dedication to the job they knew had to be done. They really did deserve some down time.

He capitulated. "Alright alright. I’m sure the Ace Ops can spare you for one evening, and if Marrow is going too—"

"It might not be _just_ Marrow," Yang butted in. "Elm said she might be interested, and I heard Clover say he’d better come along to keep an eye on things."

_Ah,_ thought Qrow, as his stomach lurched yet again but for a very different reason. _This could be tricky..._

Over the last few days, whenever Qrow had been in Clover’s vicinity, he’d become aware of a change in the other man’s demeanour— a distance which he didn’t understand. After the training session they had together yesterday, though, Qrow had a better idea of what was on Clover’s mind.

  


_Qrow disarmed Clover, causing his weapon to clatter to the floor. They both bent to pick it up, their fingers folding one over the other on the handle. Clover looked at Qrow, his eyes widening, and for a few seconds they stood facing each other, not moving. Clover’s cheeks flushed as Qrow dropped his hand, and he turned away and clipped Kingfisher back on his belt._

_"Um, that’s enough for today do you reckon?" he said, not looking at Qrow but fiddling with Kingfisher instead._

_"Uh sure, if you’ve had enough punishment," Qrow laughed._

_Clover looked over his shoulder, saying with a crooked smile, "I’m not at my best today, not much of a challenge for you I’m afraid."_

_"No, it's fine," said Qrow, "I’m pretty sure I’ve got some cleaning to do anyway. Don’t want to fail room inspection!" He collapsed his weapon back to its compact form, smiling at Clover, and was surprised to see him blush again. Clover said something incoherent and headed rather quickly for the exit. Qrow followed him more slowly, thinking hard. He knew Clover's apparent embarrassment was nothing to do with the fact Qrow had stooped to pick up Kingfisher for him. The Ace Ops did not have the same issues with another person handling their weapon as some Hunters did, himself included. In fact, when Clover had been waiting to arrest them all when they'd first arrived in Atlas, and he had taken Harbinger without so much as asking— Qrow's insides roiled at the memory. So if it wasn't that—_

Could it be—? _Qrow felt a fluttering feeling in his stomach as he spelled it out to himself._ Does he... feel about me the way I _think_ I feel about him? _It had been so long since Qrow had been in any kind of non-platonic relationship he was having difficulty remembering how that would feel._ Like this, I guess? _he pondered, continuing to walk slowly down the corridor, completely unaware of where he was going._

  


The memory of his hand over Clover's brought a flush to Qrow's cheeks. _Dammit_ , he cursed to himself, suddenly remembering he was meant to be in a conversation. Standing before his nieces felt extremely awkward as his body responded in the most basic way to the thoughts he was having. He shifted awkwardly, rubbing his hand through his hair as he tried to slow down his breathing.

He could not focus as Ruby chattered on rapidly about the proposals for the evening out. Weiss had joined her and they were planning what they should do. He glanced up, to meet Yang's eyes as she considered him thoughtfully.

"You okay, Uncle Qrow?" she asked. "Just that when I mentioned Clover would be coming this evening, you kind of phased out for a bit."

"I, uh..." Qrow's voice tailed off, and Yang's eyes widened.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" she grinned. "Well, why not? Everyone deserves to have someone special in their life," and she looked towards Blake who was standing a little further down the hallway, deep in conversation with Marrow.

Qrow looked at Yang, and then at Blake, slightly startled by this. She gave him a broad grin and punched him playfully on the arm. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret if you don't want it known yet," she smiled. "I'm good at that!" She turned away and strolled up to Blake, who looked at her with eyes that... glowed. _How am I only noticing this now?_ he wondered, then realised it was one of those instances where you didn't realise something existed, until it existed for you too.

❖

Qrow groaned inwardly as the meal took an even more boisterous turn. He looked across at Clover, sitting between Elm and Jaune at a slight diagonal from himself. Food hadn't exactly started flying yet but he felt it was only a matter of time; the noise level was increasing and he briefly wondered whether he was getting old. He chuckled inwardly as he imagined what Clover was thinking. Ace Ops team meals probably weren't quite this lively, he suspected. If they ever happened at all, which was doubtful.

Just then Clover looked up and caught his eye. He didn't look exactly comfortable and when Qrow laughed, he said, "Did you know this is what it would be like?"

"I had a good idea," Qrow grinned. "They do like to let their hair down when they get the chance." At that precise moment a bread roll sailed through the air and hit Elm on the side of her head. As she looked around for something to retaliate with, Qrow said, "Come on, calm down a bit, or you'll get us all thrown out."

He looked down the table at Ruby, who he suspected had launched the roll. She looked slightly shamefaced. "Sorry Uncle Qrow, I got a bit carried away and I won't do it again I promise."

He smiled at her and looked back at Clover. "Having fun? Glad you came?"

Clover gave him a slightly harassed look. "Fun? I've had better... Glad I came? Absolutely." His face coloured as he smiled slightly at Qrow. "You?"

"Well, fewer food-based missiles would be better. Food fights are their speciality, and I have to say it’s a treat to have food to throw. Not that I plan on joining in," he added hastily, as Clover raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But yeah, on balance, I think being here is better than not being here." He smiled at Clover, whose face managed to turn even pinker.

As the noise of the many simultaneous conversations increased, Qrow decided on a bold approach. "Fancy stepping outside for a bit of a breather?" Clover look relieved and nodded. Qrow bent down to tell Yang they were just going outside, regretting it instantly when she looked pointedly from him to Clover and linked her forefingers together in a gesture which Qrow didn't fully understand, but Clover obviously did. He smiled widely as he winked at Yang, pushing his seat back so he could follow Qrow, who seemed to be in a hurry to get away from Yang as quickly as possible.

❖

As the diner door swung shut behind him, Clover saw Qrow standing across the darkened street, looking back towards the large brightly-lit window where the youngsters were seated. It warmed Qrow’s heart to see them so happy, and he smiled to himself as Yang put her arm across the back of Blake's chair.

As Clover joined him, he followed Qrow's gaze. "So they're a thing then? Blake and Yang?"

"Apparently so," Qrow replied. "I hadn't even realised it myself until earlier. It's funny when something is right in front of you, and you don't see it, until it jumps out at you and—"

Clover raised a hand and touched Qrow’s lips lightly with one finger, preventing him finishing the sentence. "You don’t need to say it," he said in a low voice. Qrow raised his eyebrows, removing Clover’s hand and releasing it after a long moment.

"Was I about to make a complete fool of myself?" he asked, his voice unsteady. _Oh, well done Qrow,_ he congratulated himself, _you’ve played a blinder here without question._

"As if you could," smiled Clover.

Qrow grinned in spite of himself. "Well, it has been known," he said. Clover clasped his hands behind his back, then thought better of it and held them in front of him, linking and unlinking the fingers. He looked earnestly at Qrow.

"You're not a fool. Well, maybe you are, but not about this."

"Thanks," said Qrow. "I think."

"Uh, we can both see what’s happening," Clover said slowly. "At least, what _could_ happen. We’re both adults, we know how these things usually play out."

Qrow looked him, a little confused. "Not sure we need to plan out the entire campaign from start to finish," he said. "You military types with your constant need for organisation—"

He broke off as Clover said, "Maybe this would have been easier if I _had_ jumped out at you." Qrow felt the heat rise in his face as Clover looked at him. He raised one hand and touched Qrow’s cheek, tracing the line of his jaw. "I may live to regret this," he said, "I'm usually pretty cautious, but sometimes you just have to charge straight in. I'd like to kiss you now. If that's okay."

Qrow placed his hands on Clover’s shoulders and reached towards him, his heart trying hard to hammer its way out of his chest. "Yes, yes, just do it already," he said, his voice catching in his throat. Clover felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck as he leaned into the embrace. His hands cupped Qrow's face gently as their lips met, a kiss so soft and delicate that he hesitated to break it.

When Qrow pulled away, Clover smiled at him, lips trembling slightly. "How was that?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically unsteady. Qrow smiled the widest smile Clover had ever seen.

"Not bad for a by-the-numbers soldier-boy," he grinned. As he coiled his arms around Clover's neck, feeling the other man's warm body along the whole length of his own, he didn't see Yang and Blake high-fiving as they looked through the window at the two men, lost in each other on the opposite side of the street.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You stripped away the walls I built  
> Like no-one ever has  
>  _Brave Enough - Lindsey Sterling_
> 
> ❖

_So that happened then._

Qrow stretched out in bed as best he could, staring unseeing into the early morning dimness of his room. He’d got a few hours sleep in the end. Clover had kissed him goodnight at his front door, with an urgency that told Qrow if he had been invited in, there would have been even less room in the bed this morning.

But Qrow hadn’t invited him in. Whilst the realisation—that Clover’s feelings for him mirrored his own—made his heart feel a little too big for his chest, that was far too bold a step to take. For now anyway.

Qrow luxuriated in the memory of yesterday evening. They had returned to the diner to organise payment for the meal, and he marvelled that most of the group hadn’t even noticed him and Clover across the street. After Yang’s whispered comment of "Go get him Uncle Qrow!" he and Clover left to walk home— just two colleagues heading back after a team meal, as far as most of the kids were concerned. With all that had happened thus far Qrow decided he could live quite happily with this good luck thing.

They had taken a long route back to Qrow’s quarters. The deepening chill of the Atlas night could not penetrate, even when light snow began to fall, dusting their hair with shining flakes of confetti. Qrow couldn’t even remember what they had spoken of, his only definite recollection being Clover’s warm hand holding his, and the moment when Clover had scraped a handful of snow and shoved it down the back of his neck. "One-nil to me, Branwen!" he shouted, running off as Qrow came after him with a snowball of his own, in an effort to get even. He'd dropped the snowball as he caught up with Clover— _I reckon he_ let _me catch him_ —and the two of them had tumbled to the ground, oblivious of the cold as Clover had pinned Qrow down and given him _such_ a look...

Qrow smiled so broadly at the memory his face began to ache. Turning onto his side, he curled up and wrapped his arms about himself, drifting back to sleep with a smile still on his lips.

❖

_So that happened then._

Clover had got very little sleep. He kept replaying the previous evening, his brow furrowed with worry. _What had he been thinking?_ Letting his feelings get the better of his common sense, that's what.

It was definitely an evening of two halves. Up to the point where he'd left Qrow at his front door, kissing him with a burning desire for it to become more, for Qrow to move aside and invite him in—

And the second half, which began as his steps slowed when he approached his own quarters. He'd stopped suddenly, the other side of his brain taking over. _What had he been thinking? This is no way for a career military officer to behave..._

And so he had got ready for bed, sliding under the covers with his body on auto-pilot, whilst his brain battered him from both sides. _You deserve this. It's been so long... You absolute idiot, do you want to throw your whole career away?_

_That doesn't have to happen,_ Clover pleaded. _It's not like I'm his superior after all. We can work this out..._

His heart, which seemed as though it had swelled in his chest earlier, was squeezed by a cold hand. _What will the General say when he hears about this?_

Clover rolled over onto his side, a sick sensation in his stomach which he could not reconcile with the warmth he felt when he recalled the kiss on Qrow’s doorstep. _Tomorrow I’ll sort this out,_ he thought. _It'll be fine._

❖

When Clover awoke, of course, things did not seem anywhere near as bleak as they had in the early hours of the morning when he'd finally drifted off to sleep. He was still concerned, but trusted the military code to cover this eventuality as it did every other. These rules did not exist to make life unpleasant or difficult, after all. They simplified things, helping personnel in their everyday lives. Clover trusted the tenets which supported the only family he could properly remember, the organisation which had taken him in and given his life direction.

He dressed with more care than usual and found he was spending longer than was strictly necessary before the bathroom mirror. After he had managed to damp down the errant tuft of hair which refused to lie flat, he made his way to the mess hall with trepidation. He very much wanted to see Qrow, whilst at the same time felt nervous of the prospect. What if, having slept on it, Qrow decided this was not a good idea? Clover did not think he could handle that, while at the same time the other side of his brain tried to persuade him it would be for the best if this should happen.

As he entered the room he did his best to avoid catching the eye of anyone there, while at the same time trying to see if he could locate Qrow. The room was fairly busy with a muted hum of conversation. He heard a voice raised above the rest and saw Ruby, standing up and waving at him. "Here Clover over here we’re all sitting over here!" she called, unaware of how conspicuous he felt and how much he didn’t appreciate the attention. Then Qrow stood up from the group seated around the table, and said something to Ruby before walking towards him with a mug of tea in his hand. Clover felt the heat rising on his face and did his best to assume an air of nonchalance. He was not sure how effective it was.

"Hi," Qrow's face coloured as he approached Clover. "Do you want to sit here?" He waved his mug at a nearby empty table. Clover sat down a little too quickly and knocked a chair over. "Oops, my bad," said Qrow, righting the chair and looking up at Clover as he did so. "Good morning," he said, his own face more than a little pink. Then he chuckled, "I don’t know about you, but suddenly I’m fifteen years old and I don’t quite know how to handle it."

Clover couldn’t help but grin, even though he knew there were more than a few pairs of eyes watching them. "Exactly so," he agreed. "I can’t deal with this much embarrassment before breakfast."

"I think I need a top up," said Qrow, waving his mug vaguely, "shall we go and get some?"

Relieved to be actually doing something, Clover followed Qrow to the counter and helped himself to juice and cereal. Qrow replenished his mug and they returned to the table. The room was quieter now as people left to begin their day, and Clover felt he could breathe easily at last.

Qrow sipped his tea slowly and studied Clover as he ate. The other man, sensing the scrutiny, glanced up to see Qrow smiling slightly. "What is it?" he asked, suddenly realising he was also smiling.

"Oh, just remembering last night," said Qrow, "I had a really great time with this guy I’ve known for a little while, and we seemed to hit it off, and I think I’d like to see him again."

"Strange coincidence," Clover replied. "I also had an unexpectedly good time with someone I’ve not known for that long, but somehow I feel I’ve known him for ever, and we really clicked and then when we said goodnight..." his voice trailed off as he looked at Qrow. "I really like him, but I’m worried it might cause problems with my work."

"Sounds like you and him need to talk," Qrow replied, "I’m sure you can sort things out." He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he got up, resting his hand briefly on Clover’s shoulder. "See you later?" His voice was soft as he looked at Clover.

Clover glanced up at him. "You try and stop me," he said in an equally low voice, resisting the urge to cover Qrow’s hand with his own. He managed to avoid gazing at Qrow as he left the room, depositing his mug at the collection area as he left. He so wanted this to work out, and simultaneously wondered about the possible effect on his career if it did. _Inter-personnel relationships aren't exactly common here._ He would have to handle the situation very carefully. _I’m good at handling situations, I’ve been doing it my whole working life._ The other side of his brain decided to chip in. _Good luck with this one_ it sniped.

_Gods damn my stupid sensible side._ He stood abruptly, making the chair scrape noisily as he did so. _Can’t I enjoy this, even for a bit?_

He returned his tray and left the mess hall, forehead wrinkled as his thoughts went to and fro. _It’ll sort itself out,_ he told himself hopefully, touching his cloverleaf pin. Then all thoughts of Qrow were put to one side, as a siren began to sound and his scroll buzzed urgently in his pocket.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never thought that you'd find me  
> Didn't think that you'd exist  
>  _Lazy Afternoon - The Oho_
> 
> ❖

_conflicted | k_ ə _n_ ˈ _fl_ ɪ _kt_ ɪ _d |_

_adjective_

_having or showing confused and mutually inconsistent feelings_

__  


For the next few days life became very busy for both the Ace Ops and the Hunters. Increased Grimm sightings in different parts of Mantle meant they were patrolling around the clock, and any down time became _grab-whatever-you-can-eat_ time or _catch-a-bit-of-sleep_ time.

Eventually, the frequency of Grimm raids returned to their normal level, and things became somewhat quieter. Clover could finally face the question he’d pushed to the back of his mind. Was he actually breaking any rules if he and Qrow started... whatever it was they were starting? They'd had no time to talk whilst they were run off their feet with the Grimm attacks, and there had been no opportunity for further discussion of what had happened between them.

He sat at his computer, almost afraid to enter the search. _‘Inter-personnel relationships’_. A series of documents were displayed on the screen, and selecting the first he began to read.

_"Relationships between serving personnel must follow strictly professional lines."_

__

_"Forming an emotional relationship with another serving member may result in demotion or dismissal."_

__

_"Any serving member found to be in breach of these rules may be brought before a disciplinary panel."_

__

He didn’t bother viewing any of the other documents, which referred to the limited number of cases where these rules had been breached, and the resultant actions taken. He hadn’t been aware of any of these personally, and wondered briefly if his case might one day be listed there too.

Clover leant back in the chair and stared at the screen without seeing it, wondering if his concern was unnecessary. Qrow wasn’t a _serving member_ , was he? He hadn’t taken the oath as Clover had. Maybe this was all a worry over nothing.

Clover knew General Ironwood though, and was not at all sure he would take this view. As far as the General was concerned, you were either for Atlas, or opposing it. If you supported Atlas you had to play by Atlas’ rules, and if you chose not to—

_This is unproductive,_ decided Clover, jumping up from his desk and walking quickly across the room. _I don’t even know if anything will come of this... thing I have with Qrow. Maybe it will disappear as quickly as it came, maybe I’ll just look at him and see a perverse, slightly morose individual, maybe I won’t spend every other moment remembering those kisses, and how they made me feel—_

_I need a walk._ He grabbed Kingfisher from the table before leaving his quarters and striding down the hallway.

❖

Qrow was beginning to wonder if he'd imagined it all. He and Clover were going to have "the talk", but then chaos had broken out as multiple Grimm attacks assailed Mantle from all directions. All down time was cancelled as they battled to repel the Grimm hordes threatening to sweep though the beleaguered city on the surface. He had barely spoken to Clover in three days and—apart from some meaningful glances they exchanged—the recollection of the moments they had shared were all he had to wrap himself in as a reassurance that something had happened at all.

Although Qrow regarded his life as an endless litany of misfortune, he didn't complain—well not excessively anyway—but had instead learned to live with it. Perversely he almost enjoyed the consequences; the solitude, the quiet, not having to engage with others. He didn't have to try.

He found that with Clover, he wanted to try. _And look where that's got you_ , _getting your hopes up that this just might be different_. Now the whole thing seemed to have stalled before it had even started, and he decided maybe his semblance knew what was best all along.

So when he turned the corner into the hallway which led to his room, and saw Clover walking towards him, he wasn't sure whether to believe what his heart wanted, or trust his damned semblance which was doing its best to bring him down. Again.

Clover stopped in the hallway. "Hi," he said a little awkwardly, "I was just... coming to see how you were doing."

"Completely shattered to be honest," Qrow sighed, his steps slowing.

"Oh okay then, that's fine, I won't disturb you, you probably want to clean up and get some rest or something," Clover stammered as he continued to look at Qrow, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"No no, I didn't mean— I'm not trying to get rid of you," Qrow said quickly. "This is not a _I'm sorry I'm washing my hair_ thing. Although I do have to wash my hair," he added, smiling at Clover's baffled expression. "If— you wanted to see me, well, I wanted to see you, so— come in, we can talk while I sort myself out." He saw the look of relief on Clover's face and smiled inwardly. _Doesn't seem like I was imagining it._ He opened the door to his quarters and they went in.

Clover surveyed the untidy room. "Not too big on the domestic front then," he observed, picking up a pile of clothes from a chair so he could sit down. He looked about helplessly, not knowing what to do with them. Qrow took pity on him, taking the clothes and shoving them into the wardrobe. Clover raised an eyebrow. "I guess it's one way of tidying up," he commented.

"Not the Ace-Ops-approved way I suspect," Qrow grinned. "Sorry, I've never stayed in one place with cupboards long enough to get into the habit of organising my stuff."

Clover sat down as Qrow pulled his boots off and headed for the bathroom. "How was your day? Any issues with the final Grimm sweep?" he called over his shoulder. "If you speak up I should be able to hear you."

Clover heard the shower start up and realised he wouldn’t be able to hear Qrow from where he was sitting. He tried without success not to picture Qrow stripping his clothes off and stepping under the water. Qrow called questions out to him intermittently and Clover replied whilst barely knowing what he said. _I could just walk in there. I really want to just walk in there. Yeah, that’s appropriate behaviour, try getting a grip._

The shower stopped and Clover jumped away from the door. Qrow would be towelling himself dry, he’d be out in a minute...

When Qrow came out of the bathroom, wearing a short black robe and even spikier hair than usual, it was all Clover could do to maintain his composure. He wondered why his uniform had to be so damned _tight_.

Qrow rummaged in a drawer and pulled out some shorts and a t-shirt. He put these on quickly and turned round to face Clover. "That’s better," he said, "I feel almost human again. Do you want to use it?" and he gestured to the bathroom.

"N-no, I’m fine for now," stuttered Clover, who wished he knew how to sit back down without making it obvious what had happened to his body while Qrow had showered. He somehow managed it, and looked up at Qrow who was considering him with a quizzical expression.

"I get the feeling you came here with something particular in mind," Qrow said, rather enjoying the sight of super-confident Clover looking like he was lost for words. He sat on the bed and waited.

"No! Well, yes actually," Clover said, trying to organise his thoughts as best he could. He managed to shift his focus away from the sight of Qrow's spiky hair and the effect it was continuing to have on him. "Well, the way I see it, there are two courses of action. Firstly—"

He broke off, looking suspiciously at Qrow, whose twitching lips and innocent gaze suggested he wasn't taking this seriously enough. "I can see you in front of the screen now," he chuckled, "pointing at the options and discussing the pros and cons of each strategy."

"It’s not kind to laugh," protested Clover, "this is what I do. This is how I cope."

Qrow stopped laughing and stood up. "I’m sorry, that was mean," he said. "I do want to hear what the two courses of action are. But only if we choose the one which means we get to kiss again."

Clover stood up to meet him, topping Qrow’s height by a few inches now Qrow was barefoot. "That is one of the options, though we do have to talk about the other one too," he said, his voice suddenly husky.

"One thing at a time," murmured Qrow, his chin tilting upwards, his mouth very close to Clover’s. The kiss that followed dispelled any remaining doubts Qrow might have had. He slid his arms around Clover’s waist. “My bed’s not very wide, but it’s probably wide enough.”

❖

Clover pulled away from Qrow and sat up. Qrow looked at him in confusion. "Don’t you want to..." he tailed off as he saw Clover’s frown.

"Gods yes! But no. I mean I do, but not yet. Not today." He lay down again, on his side this time, head resting on one hand. "What about you?"

Qrow shuffled round to face him and slid off the bed onto the floor. Clover’s eyebrows shot up, and he peered forward as Qrow scrambled awkwardly from the floor back onto the bed. "This bed is ridiculously small," he grumbled, managing to avoid Clover’s grinning face for all of five seconds before they both started laughing.

"Gods," spluttered Clover, "I’ve never seen anything so funny—"

"Well thanks a bunch," retorted Qrow, wiping his eyes. "This is not the romantic encounter I’ve been envisaging for the past few days."

Clover stopped laughing and sat up,saying seriously, "This is what we need to talk about. Not you falling off the bed," he said sternly, as Qrow’s lips began to quiver. "This whole thing. I get we’ve got the hots for each other—"

"How old are you again?" Qrow asked him. "Not sure I’ve ever had _the hots_ for anyone to be honest."

"Well, whatever you want to call it," continued Clover airily, "it’s a thing and while the whole experience so far has been favourable, I don’t want to prejudice the expectation of an auspicious outcome by making tactical mistakes along the way."

Qrow listened as Clover delivered his speech, his eyebrows climbing higher under his untidy fringe, then as Clover blushed yet again— _he’s good at that_ , thought Qrow—he laughed and leaned forward, kissing Clover resolutely on the mouth. "I just love it when you come over all military," he said with a smile.

"Didn’t think that was your kind of thing," Clover said, looking into Qrow’s face and smiling back.

"Neither did I, but when it’s you it’s different. Actually kind of hot," he said, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay, so you say it's hot but you haven’t got the hots for me," Clover complained. "If you’re trying to confuse me then keep going, it’s working."

"If you want military precision," said Qrow, "I didn’t say I don’t have _the hots_ for you. Dreadful expression, don’t know where you picked that up. Then again, you are quite a bit younger than me." Clover tried to interrupt, but Qrow put a finger over his lips. "No, listen. What I’m saying is, I’ve never felt... like this about anyone before, the way I feel about you. It’s knocked me sideways to be honest. And I don’t know if it’s just lust, an urge to get inside someone’s pants, ‘cause that hasn’t happened in a good while—"

Clover tried to speak, but Qrow hadn’t finished. "So I’m torn. I really— want to but I’m worried if we do, that will be that and there’ll be nowhere left to go. Does that actually make any sense?"

Clover took Qrow’s hand and held it between his own, considering it as if it were a fragile thing which needed a place of safety. He looked up saying, "That’s how I feel too. I don’t want to spoil this. You only get the one chance to be at this stage of a relationship. Hah!" He laughed suddenly, "Like I’m the expert."

"So," said Qrow, "not too fast then? Just enjoy the journey and see where we end up?"

"That sounds like a plan I can sign up to," said Clover. "Although there is the other scenario."

"Other scenario?" Qrow looked confused.

"Yes, where General Ironwood finds out about us and I lose my job," replied Clover, regarding Qrow with the smallest of mirthless smiles on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So now I'll take a chance on  
> This thing we may have started  
>  _Long Shot - Kelly Clarkson_

❖

When Ruby and Yang entered the mess hall for breakfast two days later, they saw Qrow seated alone at a table halfway along one side of the room. He was nursing his customary mug of tea, the hunch of his shoulders suggesting he was not starting the day in a bright and breezy frame of mind. They collected their breakfast and approached his table.

"Mind if we join you, Uncle Qrow?" Yang didn't wait for an answer as she sat beside him. Ruby took a seat opposite her, both of them peering at him. A few moments passed and he looked up, a shadow of a smile on his lips. "Morning kids," he said in a pathetic attempt at a cheerful greeting. There were dark shadows under his eyes. Ruby and Yang exchanged a worried glance.

"What’s up?" asked Ruby, not wanting to look at him. Yang’s face took on a flat expression. "Yes, what’s up?" she echoed. "You haven’t started—" she broke off, not wanting to form the words. She patted her pocket, mimicking his gesture when he wanted to locate his flask.

"What? No!" His voice was louder than he intended. Speaking more softly, he continued, "Really, no!" He looked from Ruby to Yang, wanting to reassure them he was still dry. "That’s not it at all," he said, and returned to his tea as if the conversation was concluded.

"Have you and Clover had a fight? Is that it?" Yang reached across and rested her hand briefly on his. Both Qrow and Ruby looked at her in alarm.

"Don’t fight Clover Uncle Qrow, he might smoosh you," said Ruby. Yang gave her a pitying look and turned back to Qrow. "Don’t worry," she said, nodding wisely. "It’s pretty inevitable in the early stages, while you’re still getting to know each other—"

"What do you mean Yang what are the early stages?" Ruby demanded, her brow wrinkled. "Uncle Qrow you haven’t got a deadly illness have you?"

"You bet he has!" laughed Yang, "But don’t worry Rubes, it’s not terminal. Clover will have a remedy, you can bet on it". Ruby was now thoroughly confused and Qrow was looking at Yang in horror.

"I... how old are you again?" he sputtered, and she winked. "Old enough!"

"Hmph, well that’s enough breakfast for me," he muttered, glaring at Yang. He stood up, pushing back his chair with a clatter. As he turned to go, she said, "Any time you need advice, just ask!" and smiled winningly at him.

"Don’t hold your breath," growled Qrow as he stomped off.

He cursed himself as he headed back to his room. Was he really so transparent? If it was obvious to Yang, was everyone aware? Watching him every time he spoke to Clover, every time he stood as close as he could to the other man without quite making contact? _It’s not even been two days for Dust’s sake!_ he told himself, trying to be rational. _You don’t want to get your hopes up_ , his semblance seemed to sneer, _hope won’t get you anywhere you know._

_This is different_ , Qrow argued with himself. _I feel different. He’s shown me I can be more than just a well of misfortune._ But he knew he could not use Clover and his optimism as a permanent crutch to lean on. _Time to shape up, soldier!_ He managed a small smile as he straightened his shoulders and walked a little taller. Clover said he was going to get things straight with Jimmy; Qrow had to trust him. Even though his own instincts suggested to him that General Ironwood might not be quite as conducive to persuasion as Clover seemed to hope.

❖

The Grimm raids on Mantle had subsided somewhat, so Clover had divided his time between occasional trips to the surface, and further pondering the best way to approach General Ironwood. He had an excellent relationship with the General, but didn't want to presume on this. He'd present this case as he would any other.

He had decided to tackle this the only way he knew— there was an objective, there were obstacles to overcome, there were hearts and minds to win. Do the research, take advice, and then make the strategically most viable decision. Easy huh?

He resolved to speak to Yang first. It was obvious she cared deeply about her uncle—‘Uncle Qrow’ he smiled, still not used to it—and she seemed to have her head screwed on right. He’d heard Elm refer to her as ‘one tough cookie’, and that was true. He wouldn’t get any nonsense from Yang.

He tracked her down to the gym, where she was resetting the weights machine she’d been using. She turned round to see Clover watching her, and as she raised her eyebrows in surprise, he smiled. "How are the facilities?"

"Uh, pretty good," Yang replied. "Plenty of variety, I can get a decent workout here."

"Nothing but the best for Qrow’s brood," said Clover, instantly cringing and wondering why he’d said that. Yang’s eyes narrowed as she continued to towel herself down.

"Are you here about Uncle Qrow?" she demanded, stepping forward and almost squaring up to him. Clover, taken aback, stammered, "Well, kind of. Yes."

Yang considered him, her lilac eyes narrowing. "He’s been through a lot," she said, "he doesn’t need anyone doing anything that might hurt him, even if they don’t mean to."

"That’s the last thing I want too," Clover replied, "I would never— I know he’s had a tough time. I’ve read the file. I also know he’s been working hard to turn his life around."

Yang flexed her prosthetic thoughtfully and looked at Clover again.

"Should I be worried?" he asked, eyeing her arm and wondering what exactly she could do with it.

"Not if you don’t mess with him," she said. "I know he’s quite keen on you—"

"Did he tell you that?" said Clover, surprised.

"No, you doofus, it’s blatantly obvious," she laughed. "Well, to me it is anyway."

Clover had never been called a doofus before as far as he could remember. He tried to get his thoughts back on track. "I’m keen on him too," he said, his voice low as his eyes met hers. "I’m not sure where it’s going, but whatever happens I would never intentionally hurt him."

"You’d better not," said Yang with the sunniest of smiles, "or I’d have to intentionally hurt you." And reaching up, she pinched his cheek a little harder than was necessary, and walked off.

Clover stood there, dazed. What had just happened? He’d gone there to ask Yang... something, he wasn’t even sure what now. And this diminutive sunbeam had threatened him with actual violence and waltzed off as if this was all in a day’s work for her. _You_ are _a lucky guy, Qrow Branwen_ , he decided. _Having family to watch out for you like that is something special._

He left the gym, his footsteps dragging as he tried to marshal his thoughts into a vague semblance of order. _Okay, well I’m not sure that really helped,_ he thought. _Perhaps I'll see Weiss next. Maybe that will be more useful._

Weiss was sitting at a terminal in the library, fingers flying over the keyboard. Every so often she glanced up at the screen to confirm what she had entered. Clover decided after his encounter with Yang he should try a more business-like approach. He approached Weiss and stopped beside her chair. "Keeping busy, Miss Schnee?" he said, aiming for formal but potentially friendly. Weiss stopped typing and looked up.

"Winter has asked me to update the Grimm database with details of the various types we encountered on our travels," she said. "Your information here is rather incomplete."

"Oh, is it?" said Clover, a little annoyed. He considered the facilities in Atlas second to none, and to hear Weiss remark casually on a deficiency irked him, probably more than it should. _I’m not Atlas_ , he thought, _and_ _Atlas isn’t me_. He shook his head slightly and said to Weiss, "Well, I’m sorry to hear that, and thank you for bringing it up-to-date." Weiss gave him a small smile and was about to resume typing, when she asked, "Was there something you wanted?"

_Gods,_ thought Clover, _what is it about these self-assured confident youngsters that makes talking to them so difficult?_ He opened his mouth to speak, and shut it again abruptly.

"Not really, just wanted to check you’re settling in and finding everything you need," he managed, realising this sounded lame but unable to come up with anything better.

"It’s all fine, the library facilities are very good. Thank you," she said with a small nod of her head.

"Excellent!" said Clover. "I’ll... leave you to it then." He walked away from the desk, realising he’d been dismissed but not even minding overmuch.

He returned to his quarters and pulled his boots off, lying down on the bed and staring at nothing. He realised his nebulous idea of getting team RWBY onside was pointless. His soldier’s mind had been thinking in terms of cover and backup, but that wasn’t what was needed now. He needed to speak to the General, explain the situation, and hope that would be good enough.

_It's just a problem needing a solution_ , he told himself. _As if Qrow could ever be a problem_ , he smiled, before reminding himself he didn’t know Qrow very well and who was to say what might happen in the future? There was still plenty of time for it all to go wrong—

_Sometimes I wish my training hadn’t instilled in me the need to see every side of a situation_ , he thought, frowning. _It's time to see James and get this settled, one way or another._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But right here is where you belong  
> So don't search any more  
>  _Wanderer's Lullaby - Adriana Figueroa_

❖

"Come in!"

Clover entered General Ironwood's spacious office and approached the large desk. Standing to attention, he snapped a salute, saying, "General Ironwood, sir!" as the General looked up from the papers he'd been perusing.

"At ease, Specialist," he nodded. Clover relaxed a little and clasped his hands behind his back.

"You wanted to see me," the General prompted, holding a pen loosely between his fingers and tapping it against his other hand.

"Yes sir," Clover said, wishing he was somewhere else but at the same time, knowing this was a conversation that needed to be had. "It's about Huntsman Qrow Branwen..."

"Hmm, not giving you any trouble, is he?" asked the General, eyes narrowing as he saw the glimmer of a smile starting to form on Clover's lips. Clover quickly composed his face into an impassive mask, saying, "Not at all sir, not at all, quite the contrary in fact."

General Ironwood looked up at him sharply. "What _do_ you mean, Specialist?" he asked curtly. _This is it_ , thought Clover. _Hold my breath and jump right in_.

"Huntsman Branwen and I— we've formed an... attachment." As the General's eyebrows arched, Clover hurried on. "I know it would be against regulations if he was employed directly by the military, but as that doesn't apply here there doesn't seem to be an issue of rule-breaking. I've reviewed the Military Code, sir, I've looked at it as thoroughly as I can. I can’t find any regulation that would not permit this kind of relationship, but I wanted to apprise you of the situation, sir."

The ensuing silence beat against Clover's ears as he stood as straight as he knew how, looking fixedly at a point just behind the General's left shoulder. His heart thudded uncomfortably and he hoped the General could not hear it.

General Ironwood put his pen on the desk and steepled his fingers. He looked up at Clover and smiled. Only a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. Clover dared to hope.

"Qrow Branwen and I— go back a long way," he began. "I have a high regard for him. And it is true, he is not a member of the military and I don't imagine he ever could be." He chuckled, "That's not his style at all. But he is a great asset to us here in Atlas, as are his team. If you and he have formed an attachment—" Clover could see the quotes he was putting around the phrase, "then that may well be a good thing. It makes it less likely they will all just up and leave in a stolen airship!" he said, laughing at his own joke.

"So, you have no formal objection, sir?" asked Clover, who just wanted to hear the General confirm this so he could leave. General Ironwood seemed to be in an odd mood and Clover didn't want to give him the opportunity to change his mind.

"No, none," he said, "and if it gets serious you'll have to apply for married quarters!" he almost guffawed. Clover didn't really understand what was happening and thought it wise to bring the conversation to a close.

"Yes, sir. Permission to be dismissed, sir," he said formally.

"Yes yes, dismissed," said the General with a wave of his hand. He had already picked up the papers from his desk, and did not raise his head as Clover left the room.

Clover waited until he had rounded the corner and was heading away from the General's office. "Yes!" he shouted, jumping up and punching the air as if he had won the most prized trophy in the world of Remnant. Which in a way, he had.

❖

"So... Jimmy was cool with it?" Qrow asked. He knew Clover had been worried about how their relationship could dovetail in with his career, and even if the two things could co-exist. He didn't get why Atlas had to have so many regulations, which affected the lives of everyone who lived there. And the military was in another class altogether. He and Clover had had some... lively discussions about the benefits or otherwise of a highly regimented society. It had to be said, their views did not always coincide.

_But this was good news, right?_ Qrow thought. _We have the green light, all systems go, no need to worry. So why does Clover still seem concerned?_

They were sitting on the sofa in Clover's quarters. _He has a sofa!_ Qrow was a little jealous but recognised the high rank Clover held had its benefits. Clover also had a separate bedroom and small kitchen, which he kept spotlessly clean and tidy. Qrow was doing his best but in all honesty, the place wasn't _quite_ as tidy as it used to be.

Clover was stretched out, his head in Qrow's lap and his eyes almost closed. Qrow idly fiddled with his soft light-brown hair, thinking how comfortable this was and wondering what was going to go wrong.

"So, what exactly _is_ the problem?" he asked. "Turns out you were worried for no reason— Jimmy says it’s okay, then it’s okay, right?"

Clover squinted up at him. "This is nice," he said. "I could get used to this."

"Mmm," agreed Qrow. "But what’s up? You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet. Where’s all the Clover Ebi trademark cheeriness? Is hanging around me starting to get to you?" He asked the question with a smile, though he couldn't help but be a little worried.

Clover wriggled round and sat up, bringing his face closer to Qrow’s. He kissed the older man on the cheek, and then kissed him again and again, as if it was the only opportunity he would ever have. "Clover, what is it?" said Qrow, not minding at all but wondering what was on Clover’s mind.

"I’m just _so happy,_ " said Clover. "I was worried the General would insist I couldn’t continue serving, that it would compromise me somehow—"

"Jimmy talks bollocks sometimes, but I can’t imagine even he would come out with something as stupid as that," said Qrow.

"No," said Clover, skating past Qrow's opinion of his superior officer, "but he was... odd, almost like he didn’t care one way or another. He was even making jokes about it." He relayed some of the conversation which had taken place in the General’s office. When Clover mentioned his ‘married quarters’ comment, Qrow said, "He may have a point there, my room is bordering on the minuscule. Although _married quarters_ seems unnecessary when this,” he waved a hand at the room, "is pretty big anyway."

"Not really the point I was trying to make," Clover said, "but isn’t it a bit soon to be thinking of that?"

"It’s alright for you and your giant bed," moaned Qrow, "you don’t know how I suffer." He hadn’t considered what he was implying, bed envy was at the forefront of his mind at the moment.

Clover sat back and considered the pathetic specimen of a man in front of him. He felt he had no alternative but to tickle Qrow until he was almost crying with laughter, and General Ironwood’s strange behaviour was forgotten as the two men rolled off the sofa onto the floor, each trying to out-tickle the other.

❖

"It’s getting late, I’d better get some sleep if I’m to have any chance of waking up at a sensible time," said Qrow later. "I should be heading back."

Clover regarded him thoughtfully. "Is your bed really a problem?" he asked. "I mean, you’re almost as tall as me. Not so well-developed obviously," he teased, "but I can imagine a narrow bed must be a nuisance."

"And?" Qrow said, expecting more. "You gonna pull some strings and get me a bigger one?"

Clover looked at him levelly. "I could do that. Or— you could stop over," he suggested. Qrow felt a constriction in his chest which seemed to extend up into his throat.

"I could?" he said, his voice slightly higher-pitched than normal. "And how does that fit in with the whole _let’s not rush things and see how we go_ idea exactly?"

"Look Qrow," Clover said, "we’re neither of us youngsters. We’ve both got history, well I imagine you have, and at some point I'll be asking questions," he smirked. "I know what I said before, about cherishing the early days, and that’s all well and good, but now the General has given his blessing—"

"I wouldn’t put it quite like that," said Qrow, "he’s not your dad after all."

Clover quickly shook his head, "No, but in some ways, he has been like a father to me." Qrow raised his eyebrows, and Clover said, "I know, sounds ridiculous, but— that’s how it feels sometimes. But for now, with that worry behind us, I feel like—"

"Like you don’t want to wait any longer," said Qrow. Clover looked at him. "No," he said simply.

"Then let’s not."

Qrow stood up and took Clover’s hands, pulling him up to a standing position. "I love being just a little bit shorter than you," he said. Clover looked down at him, with an expression on his face that made Qrow tremble.

"I should warn you," said Qrow, "I haven’t done anything like this in quite some time."

"Apparently it’s like riding a bike," said Clover, in a reassuring voice. Qrow looked at him apprehensively.

"You’re not into... _very_ weird stuff, are you?" he asked. "I mean, I don’t quite see how... with a bike... I mean, how would that even work?"

Clover held Qrow at arm’s length and observed him carefully. "You are the most gorgeous, adorable, and simultaneously odd person I know."

"I try," said Qrow modestly.

With a shout of laughter, Clover pushed him towards the bedroom. Qrow managed to catch his foot in the rug and fell awkwardly onto the bed, pulling Clover down with him. "You see what you get with me?" he told Clover, their faces almost touching. "Bad luck all the way."

Clover traced one finger along the side of Qrow’s face, across his collar-bone and down onto his chest, making the other man breathe in sharply. "You’ve brought only good luck to me," he whispered, following the path of his finger with small soft kisses. Qrow ran his fingers through Clover’s hair, and hoped that finally good luck would triumph over bad, and he would be allowed to enjoy life, just like anyone else.

❖

Team RWBY were eating breakfast. The mess hall served mini-pancakes which were a particular favourite of Yang's. She had finished her portion, and when Blake turned to speak to Weiss who was seated on her other side, Yang casually flicked several pancakes from Blake's plate onto her own. When Weiss had finished speaking, Blake returned to her breakfast, only to find her plate somewhat depleted. She looked at Yang, who was using her finger to wipe every last dribble of syrup from her plate, licking noisily as she went. Blake's eyes narrowed as she looked at Yang's syrupy face.

"What?" mumbled Yang stickily, her finger still in her mouth.

"I didn't realise it was pancake migration season," Blake said accusingly.

"There's a lot you don't know," said Yang, finally satisfied there was no syrup remaining. She nodded her head in the direction of the entrance as Clover and Qrow walked in.

Two colleagues walking in to breakfast together should not have been something to remark on, but even Blake could see it. Qrow looked... relaxed? At this time of the day? He was actually smiling at something Clover said to him, a quiet comment meant only for Qrow's ears.

They stopped walking and Blake noticed how close together they stood. She looked at Yang and raised her eyebrows, her ears twitching slightly. "Do you reckon they—" she said.

Yang grinned widely and nodded. "Oh yes. Definitely. Without a doubt."

Blake glanced back at the two men, trying not to make it obvious. Qrow said something to Clover and they parted, their fingers just brushing together before Qrow made his way to the counter and Clover sauntered over to where some of the other Ace Ops were seated.

Qrow carried his mug of tea carefully, managing to get it onto the table next to team RWBY without spilling a drop. He smiled in spite of himself. _Maybe good fortune is contagious_. This thought was interrupted by Ruby, who had jumped up from her seat and now sat down with a clatter beside him. "You're looking chipper today Uncle Qrow did you have a good night's sleep?" she asked brightly. She didn't understand why Blake and Yang found this question so hilarious.

Qrow felt himself starting to blush furiously and decided this would have to be nipped in the bud. _Whatever happened to respect for your elders? I'm not going to be teased by a bunch of teenagers._ He looked down at Ruby, speaking loudly enough so those on the other table could also hear.

"I did sleep well for a change. Clover's bed is much wider than mine, and even with the two of us there was plenty of room." He sipped his tea, leaning back in his chair and enjoying the rare pleasure of team RWBY, goggle-eyed and completely silent, without a smart remark between them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I'd feel this fire burning in my skin  
> And now it all comes crashing in  
>  _Nothing - OhHeyMy_

❖

It had been so long since Qrow had been part of any meaningful adult relationship, he wasn't certain of the rules, or how he was meant to feel about it.

The giddy euphoria which accompanied the hours he and Clover spent in bed were one thing; he wasn't going to complain about that any time soon. The physical contact alone was something he hadn't realised he craved, and now he had it, he wasn't letting go easily. And it wasn't simply the unexpected delight that came from sharing his body with someone else, Qrow realised. The casual yet tender moments were at least as special. Making a joke, and knowing the other person would just get it. Exchanging commonplaces at the end of the day. Going to sleep alongside another human being; waking up the following morning and they were still there.

And yet. _And yet_.

A thought would drift through Qrow's brain occasionally, to be swatted away.

_My time isn't my own any more._

_Ungrateful git that I am._

Clover was a delight. He was thoughtful and considerate. He was patient with Qrow if the older man was in a waspish mood. He wanted to take care of Qrow, giving him the attention he'd lacked in the past.

_So why am I even having these negative thoughts?_

_It's taking me a while to acclimatise_ , he decided. _I'll get more used to it as we go on. It's only been a few days, after all._

So it was when he walked over to Clover's quarters later, to eat the meal Clover had cooked for them both, he pushed away the niggling feeling this was not quite how he wanted things to be. When Clover answered the door, wearing an apron which had _Caution: Extremely Hot_ printed across the front, Qrow's concern disappeared in laughter as he was enveloped in a tight hug from the extremely hot cook.

And later on, after they had eaten and the table was cleared, Clover's assumption that Qrow would be stopping over was only natural, Qrow told himself. _Why wouldn't I, after all? His bed is so much wider than mine..._

Qrow used the bathroom first and slid into the bed. He could almost lie across the width of it, and proceeded to do so, just because he could. When Clover came into the bedroom he laughed at the sight. "You do like your space, don't you?"

"I do." Qrow looked at the other man's naked body and felt his own respond in the now familiar way.

_It's like I can't control my own dick any more._

_And this is a problem because...? I should be glad there's someone here who has this effect on me._

_Ungrateful git that I am._

Clover edged into the bed and reached for Qrow. "You want to—?"

Qrow moved Clover's hand down a little. "What do you think?"

  


Qrow fell asleep afterwards, and dreamed.

He was in his bird form, flying over unfamiliar terrain. Ahead of him were many other crows, and he beat his wings faster in an attempt to reach them. Just as it seemed he would join the flock, they sped up and moved away from him again. This happened several times, then the dream changed and he was flying alone, over a snowy landscape. The pristine snow stretched in all directions, seemingly without end. He could see a small figure below, the only visible object against the vast expanse of white. He flew on, leaving the figure far behind.

Qrow awoke, staring into the darkened room, momentarily disorientated. He raised a hand to his face, wondering why his cheeks were wet.

❖

It had been a week of almost normality. Regular patrols, the occasional emergency operation to deal with a Grimm attack somewhere in Mantle, noisy mealtimes in the mess hall.

Clover had suggested Qrow might as well move into his quarters, as he was spending nearly all his time there anyway. The small doubts Qrow had worried over a few days previously had been pushed to one side, as he decided there was little point in doing the thing by halves. As Clover pointed out, "I like to cook for us, my quarters are bigger, and the bed much roomier."

_All very cosy and domesticated._ So Qrow dismissed the idea that there had to be a downside to all this. _It's all fine, this is just what you need after how your life has panned out so far._

He returned late one evening after an unscheduled trip to the surface with Ruby and Weiss, to despatch a small pack of Sabyrs which had been reported in one of the residential areas. Clover had cooked a chilli and kept his portion warm, and as Qrow ate he listened to Clover as he talked about his day. In truth, Qrow felt distracted and had trouble focussing; it had been a long day and he was tired. _A quick shower and then I can relax properly._

"That was very good, thanks," he said, pushing the plate away and finishing his glass of water. Clover smiled and cleared the table, clattering the crockery into the sink and running the tap before returning to the living room. Qrow stood up and stretched, pulling on his arms to try and ease the muscles. Clover came behind him and began to rub his shoulders. "Feel like a massage?" he said softly into Qrow’s ear.

Qrow turned round and looked up at Clover, sliding his hands under the thin t-shirt. He felt the grip on his shoulders tighten as Clover inhaled sharply, his eyes losing focus as Qrow’s fingers moved more roughly over his chest.

Abruptly, with a harsher movement than he had intended, Qrow pulled away and moved back a little. Clover’s eyes snapped open and he looked at Qrow in alarm. "What— what’s up?" he asked.

Qrow grabbed Clover’s hand and held it against his crotch. But even as Clover’s fingers curled slightly, pressing closer, Qrow flung his hand away. Clover stared at him with the eyes of every beaten puppy that ever lived. He started to speak, but Qrow savagely interrupted.

" _This_ is up," he said, gesturing to his body. "It’s such a reflex response I’m not even sure I’m in control any more." He took a deep breath. "This... it’s all becoming too much. So much kindness, so much— touching, so many walls— " he almost shouted, gesturing wildly at Clover’s neat room. "I can’t breathe..." He strode across the room, grabbed Harbinger from the table, and almost threw himself through the front door, slamming it as he left.

Clover stood still for several long moments. He smoothed down his rumpled t-shirt as he made his way to the kitchen to wash Qrow’s dishes. Then, patting his hands dry on his trousers, he went into the bedroom, shutting the door carefully with a gentle click.

He got undressed and folded his clothes, placing them on a chair by the window. Slipping under the covers, he lay towards the edge of the far-too-large-for-one-person bed, tears sliding down his face and into the pillow.

❖

Qrow almost ran down the hallway, clutching Harbinger so tightly he accidentally released the scythe, gouging a long scrape in the wall before he closed it again. He heard a raised voice from one of the rooms as he passed, heading straight for the window at the end of the hallway, which was slightly ajar. Without pausing he slipped into his crow form and flew out into the darkening night.

A band which he hadn't realised had been tightening around his chest finally slackened as he climbed higher into the air, slowly circling round with the lights of the city beneath him. His mind was still racing and all he could see was the expression on Clover's face. Bafflement and hurt, combining to create a sight so desolate Qrow almost faltered in his flight, wanting to return and comfort the man he had so cruelly left standing, shocked, in the room behind him. But he knew if he did, the problem he had created for himself would never be resolved.

Feeling slightly calmer, he flew lower as he approached an area of parkland near the edge of Atlas. No longer maintained as a neat series of paths and wooded walks, interspersed with statues and fountains, it was returning to a more wild state and this suited Qrow's mood perfectly. He heard a soft 'caw', and sensed, rather than saw, the roosting birds in the straggly trees below. A variety of corvids, many jackdaws and rooks, but plenty of crows too. He dropped from flight and perched on a branch, a little way from the main group of birds but close enough to feel a part of them. His bird heart, which always beat faster than his own, nevertheless slowly quietened as he settled down, fluffing up his feathers and tucking his beak in.

For the next day and throughout the following night he stayed with the flock. He knew that Clover, along with his nieces, would be worried about him, but at the moment that didn't seem to matter. He knew he was being selfish, and in a tiny corner of his mind, was relishing this time he had where he only had to consider himself. But it could not last. He had to go back and try to explain, to Ruby and Yang, and to Clover. Birds do not cry, but Qrow's eyes became just a little brighter, and he blinked several times. He knew he had hurt the only person to offer themselves to him, as a friend and so much more. Qrow knew why it had happened. He hoped Clover would understand too.

❖

Clover rose at his customary early hour, washed and dressed in his usual careful way, fastened Kingfisher to his belt and headed down to breakfast. His face was calm and he was trying his hardest not to think about the events of the previous evening. A tremble of his lip was the only indication that he was not entirely successful.

As he entered the mess hall his eyes scanned the room. Qrow was not there. As his glance fell upon the table where team RWBY were seated, Ruby looked up and met his eyes. She looked surprised— _to see me alone?_ Clover wondered _—_ and seemed about to get up when Yang grabbed her arm to prevent her. Ruby looked at her crossly, but after Yang had spoken a few words Ruby nodded her head, glanced at Clover again, then applied herself busily to her breakfast. Yang looked up and gave Clover a small smile. He did his best to smile back and went to get some food, even though he had no appetite and thought it might not stay long in his stomach.

The mission assignments were routine this morning and soon dealt with. Qrow’s absence from the briefing room generated a few lighthearted comments, and Clover wished he could simply walk out so he didn’t have to speak to anyone. But years of training enabled him to finish the meeting without incident, and as the teams filed out of the room, he finally allowed himself to sit on the edge of the table, shoulders slumped as he took his scroll out and scanned once more for new messages. There were none.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumping up, said "Qrow?" as he turned round. But the hand fell away to reveal Yang, with a compassionate look on her face. "Oh, I thought—" he started, blushing.

"It’s okay Clover," she said with a soft smile, "Blake and me have had arguments in the past. I’m sure you’ll make it up."

"It— wasn’t like that," he said, "he... I don’t want to talk about it actually. It’s just, I’ve messaged him and there’s been no reply, I can’t help worrying that—"

Yang laughed, "You know Uncle Qrow right? He probably stayed awake half the night pondering his meaningless existence, and now he’s snoring his head off having slept through his alarm."

"You’re probably right," said Clover, feeling a little more cheerful. "He’ll turn up at dinner I expect."

But after a day that seemed at least twice as long as a day had any right to be, when Clover went to the mess hall, there was still no sign of Qrow. He got a cup of hot chocolate and sat at the furthest table from the entrance, facing towards it so he would see if Qrow came in. He sat for over an hour, until the room had emptied and the chocolate had gone cold. This, combined with not one message from Qrow all day, was what made up Clover's mind to head to Qrow's quarters. His stomach churned at the thought of facing Qrow after what had happened, but he couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer.

After banging on the door far too loudly and getting no response, he just managed to stop himself from shouting through the door at Qrow. He was now certain the other man was lying dead in his room, having suffered some kind of mishap the nature of which Clover could not imagine. He pressed his ear against the door, and could hear nothing. _Right, that does it,_ he thought. _This has gone on long enough._

He headed to the security office and signed out the master key to Qrow's room. He had to complete the _reason for request_ and entered _suspected illness of room occupant_ , although in his mind _I think my probably-ex boyfriend is lying dead on the floor_ felt nearer to the truth.

With hands that shook a little Clover opened the door, and before stepping inside called "Qrow? Are you there?" There was no answer, and he could sense the room was empty. He went in and closed the door behind him, turning on the light and looking round.

Someone unfamiliar with Qrow's domestic capabilities might have thought that burglars had paid a visit, but Clover didn't see anything amiss. He quickly looked in the bathroom and then stood over the bed, which was untidy with the covers pushed down and the pillow on the floor. Clover absent-mindedly picked up the pillow, plumping it up and placing it back on the bed. He pulled up the covers and smoothed them out, tucking in a stray corner of sheet. Looking around some more, he found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt half kicked under the bed, and as he picked them up he caught a scent of the musky cologne which Qrow sometimes used. He folded the clothes up and carefully put them under the pillow, trying to stop his tears falling as he stood up and turned to leave.

_He's a grown man for Dust's sake, he can go where he pleases, he doesn't need to tell anyone. He's fine, he's fine..._

❖

Clover did not remember returning the key to security. He did not remember what he said to Yang, when she called him to ask if she could speak to Qrow. "'Cause I've tried calling him and he's not answering, his scroll has probably run down or something, is he there?" she asked. When she couldn't get a sensible answer from Clover she said, "Right, don't go anywhere, I'm coming over."

Clover had no intention of going anywhere as he wouldn't have known where to go. He sat helplessly, staring at his fingers as they threaded and unthreaded repeatedly. He couldn't explain why he felt so worried, except that Qrow had scared him when he slammed out of his quarters, and not knowing the other man all that well, he didn't know what Qrow might do.

There was a firm knock on the door and Yang came in. "Uh, the door was open—" she began. "Clover, what's happened? You look dreadful."

"I got the key to Qrow's room, I was worried he might be sick or something... he wasn't there," Clover replied, looking up at Yang and remembering what she had said previously about what she would do if he ever hurt Qrow. "We didn't argue," he began, "well, not as such. He'd had a tiring day I think, and he had his dinner, and then we—" he broke off, his face colouring at the memory. "We... started, you know, but then he suddenly kind of flipped, said it was all too much and he couldn't breathe... Then he was gone."

Yang looked at the man sitting before her. She had been mulling over what vengeance she would wreak upon Clover on Qrow's behalf, but now she saw him, all thoughts of that left her mind.

"He has done this kind of thing before," she said gently. "When stuff gets a bit heavy, you know? He'll come back soon I reckon. He didn't have you to come back to before."

"But I'm the problem," Clover said, his voice husky. "I'm too kind and I cook his meals and there are walls and there's too much touching—"

"Too much information you mean," interrupted Yang quickly. "Uncle Qrow is an idiot and if I wasn't... with Blake then you could cook me dinner any time." Clover looked up with a shaky smile on his face.

"That's appreciated Yang, you're a great person but not quite my type," he said, his smile becoming a little steadier.

"That's better," said Yang, bending down and giving him an awkward hug. "Look, if he doesn't show up tomorrow we can go find him. I guess he's officially AWOL, yeah?"

"I haven't reported it," said Clover. "Thought that might be the last straw for him."

"You have a point," said Yang. "Now, are you going to be okay? I can... sit with you if you want."

Clover looked at her, his eyes just a little bright. "Thanks for the offer, but I should be fine. He is so lucky to have you lot."

"Well, not sure he'd always agree with that. But he's lucky to have you, and when he comes back we'll make sure he knows it."

Yang patted him kindly on the shoulder, saying, "Let me know if he turns up in the meantime, otherwise we'll sort it out tomorrow." She raised her hand in a half wave and left the room, leaving Clover in a slightly better frame of mind than before her visit.

He sat without moving for some time, until dusk became night. With a sigh, he went into the bedroom, determined to try and get at least a few hours sleep this time.

❖

Clover woke up, surprising himself, as he hadn’t realised he’d fallen asleep. He reached to cancel the alarm, then became aware that it hadn’t sounded. Something else had woken him.

There it was again. A sharp tapping on the glass.

Clover swung his legs from the bed and padded to the window, drawing back the curtains and squinting out into the grey dawn. Another tap made him look down, at a fairly large black bird perched on the window ledge. It looked up at Clover with bright red eyes.

_It can’t be_ , thought Clover. _But it looks like a crow_ , and he knew crows’ eyes were usually black, so...

He opened the window cautiously and stepped back. The bird hopped across the sill and down onto the floor, transforming into Qrow as it did so.

"What the—" Clover gasped, as he collapsed on the bed. "I mean, what the _actual—"_

"Never gets old," Qrow laughed, his eyes still bright red as they considered Clover. Clover looked back at him, not laughing.

"Qrow," he began, "where have you been, are you okay? I’ve been so worried," and with that his tears began to fall silently.

"Clover, I’m a complete bastard, you need to know that." Qrow’s voice was soft, and as he spoke he stepped towards the bed, sitting beside Clover and taking his hands gently.

"No, no, don’t say that," sobbed Clover, sniffling as he tried to calm his breathing. "It wasn’t your fault, it was me, I pushed you too hard."

"Look, if you’re gonna say that kind of thing, we’ll be right back where we started," Qrow grinned. Clover turned his head and looked sidelong at Qrow.

"How can you laugh? I was worried literally sick," he complained. "Such a waste of food," he muttered to himself.

"Come and sit up on the bed," said Qrow, "up here," and he propped up the pillows. Clover sat back, feeling slightly perplexed, and Qrow climbed between his outstretched legs, leaning back against his shoulder and drawing Clover’s arms about him.

"There’s stuff I have to say," Qrow continued, "and I don’t want to be distracted by your cute face while I’m trying to say it."

Clover swallowed hard, trying to dry his face on the back of Qrow’s head. "Go on."

"Right, well, as you see I can become a crow," Qrow began.

"I knew _that_ ," said Clover, "I’ve read the file. Just didn't appreciate the reality of it."

"And sometimes, when things get a bit—"

"Heavy?" said Clover.

Qrow twisted his head to look up at Clover. "Just so. And then, it’s like a coping mechanism. So that’s what happened."

"Yeah but, the things you said before you went off..." Clover's voice was only slightly wobbly.

Qrow held Clover’s arms more tightly around himself. "That was how I felt at the time, but it was really shitty of me to just come out with it and bugger off like I did."

"That’s something we can agree on. I didn’t know what to do. I was devastated," Clover said simply.

"Shouldn’t be devastated on my account." Qrow's voice was gruff.

"Sorry, it’s how I feel about you, Qrow. I love you," said Clover. "Oh, dammit, I didn’t mean to say it out loud. Damn, damn, damn."

Qrow wriggled round, managing to kick Clover in the chest before he sat comfortably facing him, his legs across Clover’s thighs.

"That is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." He looked at Clover with his head slightly tilted.

"What? Damn?" said Clover, unable to resist.

Qrow laughed out loud. "I’ve been damned all my life."

Clover raised a tentative hand to Qrow’s cheek. "That’s what this is all about." Clover's voice was soft. "You’ve had a lot of rotten things happen to you. I want to be a good thing."

"And you are," said Qrow firmly, closing his hand over Clover’s. "Apart from my irritating nieces, you are far and away the best thing in my life. But you can have too much of a good thing, you know."

Clover swallowed hard. "So this is it? The tender goodbye?"

"No, you doofus," Qrow grinned. _So that’s where Yang gets it from._ Clover smiled despite the lump in his throat.

"That’s twice now members of your family have called me a doofus," he protested.

"Must be true then," said Qrow brightly.

"So if it isn’t goodbye, then what is it exactly?" asked Clover, trying for casual and falling some way short.

"I think it’s— please can we rewind a bit to the part where we were taking it slow," said Qrow hesitantly. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds okay." Clover was still striving to sound nonchalant. "And... how would that work in practice?"

"Well, I could try not spending _every_ night here," said Qrow. "If only my bed wasn’t so small..." he tailed off, peering up under his fringe at Clover’s face. "If only I knew someone in high places who could wangle me a bigger one..."

"You’re incorrigible," said Clover, bravely risking a kiss to Qrow’s forehead. "But okay, we can sort you out a wider bed."

"Knew I’d picked the right boyfriend," said Qrow slyly. Clover kissed him again, more firmly this time.

"Anything else I can do for you? Bigger quarters? Room service?"

"If I need those I can just come here, right?" Qrow wanted to see Clover laugh; suddenly that was very important to him.

Clover obliged. "Incorrigible _and_ cheeky," he grinned, "what are we going to do with you?"

"You’ll think of something," Qrow said softly, raising a hand to stroke the side of Clover’s face.

Brow furrowed, Clover said, "I’m still unclear as to what’s on the table and what’s off, if you know what I mean."

"I don’t think we need to take anything completely off the table," said Qrow thoughtfully. "We just need to space things out a bit more, maybe sometimes only one of us uses the table, maybe sometimes we put the table away and sit on the floor."

Clover looked at him. "Analogies not your strong point, are they?"

"Who’s talking about analogies? I’m talking about tables," said Qrow confidently.

Clover smiled and put his arms around Qrow. "You owe me at least one hug," he said. "If— that’s okay. I’m a bit unsure about the whole _too much touching_ thing, I don’t want to do things that you don’t like."

Qrow leaned forward and turned his head, resting it against Clover’s shoulder. "It’s not easy to explain, mostly because I’m not sure I get it myself. Nothing you’ve done since we got together has upset me. The complete opposite. I— sometimes it’s like every part of my body is aware of every part of yours. You’re just so... here," he tailed off. "It’s not a feeling I’ve had before, and it all got a bit— overwhelming. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, yes it does," Clover replied, hugging him gently. "That’s how I feel too, it’s like— we're inhabiting the same space. I’ve never had a relationship like that before, and I suppose when it’s with a colleague— I guess this is why it’s frowned on." He paused. "When you’re working with someone and then you’re with them off-duty too... probably not ideal to be honest. It was just— I wanted to be with you so much because it’s just so _nice_!"

"Your enthusiasm is infectious, d’you know that?"

A slighter firmer hug. "What I said before—" Clover began.

"Damn?" said Qrow helpfully.

"No, the bit before that," said Clover through gritted teeth, knowing Qrow was well aware of what he meant, and was smirking into his shoulder. "I... I meant it but I won’t ever say it again if you don’t want me to," he said in a rush.

Qrow was quiet for a moment before he replied. "I can’t deny it was a surprise to hear it. No-one has ever said that to me before. Ouch, hang on a minute." He wriggled out of Clover's arms and twisted round to sit next to him, pulling Clover's arm across his shoulder.

"Comfy now?" said Clover with only a hint of sarcasm is his voice.

"Perfectly, thank you. I was getting cramp in my legs. Now, where was I?"

"No-one had ever told you they loved you. I wonder why," Clover said, followed by "Ow! Now what?" as Qrow poked him in the ribs.

"I'm _trying_ to be serious," said Qrow patiently.

"Sorry," said Clover, "carry on."

Qrow took Clover's free hand and held it against his chest. "It means a lot to me, that you feel that way. Don't think you must never say it. Only, don't expect me to just say it back. I wouldn't say it just because I thought you expected it."

"I wouldn't want you to. But I don't want to crowd you. I don't want to smother you and make you feel like you can't breathe."

Qrow squeezed Clover's hand. "If I start to feel like that again, I'll let you know before it gets too bad. But sometimes, old habits and all that I guess, I just like to be alone. To be away." He frowned. "For so long I've had to stay away from people I care for. And before you say it, I know I can't blame _everything_ on my semblance. But I just can't take the risk I might bring harm to people around me. There've been times..."

Clover resisted the temptation to say something optimistic and positive.

"So, getting close to someone— it's not all plain sailing. I don't want to screw this up. If I thought being with you was going to get you hurt, I'd be out of here in a shot. And in the meantime... if I'm getting it wrong, all this— intimacy, you'll have to be patient..." He trailed off, peering anxiously up at Clover, who was looking straight ahead and blinking hard.

"You just say if things get too much. I can't appreciate how things have been for you, what it must have been like," Clover said. Qrow turned his hand over, kissing the palm and releasing it.

"What, not even when you've _read the file_?"

Clover squeezed him harder still. "You... reprobate."

"Er, if you say so. Now, I'm famished," Qrow said suddenly. "Why don't you get dressed and we can grab some breakfast?"

Clover jumped off the bed and went to the wardrobe, taking out his uniform and looking at it closely. Satisfied it passed muster, he looked across at Qrow and smiled. Qrow returned the smile, and Clover felt his world return to a stable orbit once more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We can paint away these scratches on the rainbow over you and me  
>  _Let's Start Again - Fyfe Dangerfield_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who may not know, the word 'cwtch' is pronounced 'cootch' (as in ‘foot’ rather than ‘food’), and is from the Welsh language.

❖

Clover and Qrow walked into the mess hall to find it almost empty. They were earlier than usual— the only people there were service staff, and some who had worked a night shift and were on their way back to their quarters.

Clover was so hungry he ordered double of everything. Qrow was also hungry but he could not compete with Clover for breakfast, preferring today to settle for a slightly larger than usual bowl of porridge to go with his cup of tea. He debated long and hard with himself whether to add honey or brown sugar, in the end opting to have both on either side of the bowl.

Clover looked at the bowl as Qrow set it on the table. "You did so well with the porridge and then had to ruin your good intentions at the last minute," he chided.

"I don’t do good intentions. I do porridge," replied Qrow. He took a spoonful and slowly slurped it, looking at Clover as he did so. Clover tried hard not to laugh; he was still cross with Qrow for disappearing, but Qrow was making it difficult for him to maintain his hurt to any degree.

"Enjoy your muesli," said Qrow, as Clover finished his scrambled eggs and moved on to the next stage of his breakfast.

"Don’t worry, I will. Oh, I just remembered. Yang asked me to let her know when you got back, I should message her. Or you could?" he suggested.

"I’m guessing she’ll be here soon, I’ll speak to her then."

"Will that be okay? Won’t she be worried?"

"I doubt it, she’s not the worrying type. She knows me too well anyway," Qrow answered.

"She knows you better than I do, that’s for sure."

"Hardly surprising, I mean how long have we been here now? Three months is it? You’ve got some catching up do. No amount of _reading the file_ can make up for that." Qrow smirked through a mouthful of porridge.

"You’ve got a mean streak, do you know that?"

"A mile wide, soldier-boy," said Qrow loftily, as he stood up and headed for more tea.

Clover scraped his bowl clean, his forehead wrinkled. Qrow's shift from tortured soul to whimsical joker was difficult to understand. _But if this is who he is, I'd better get a handle on it._ He speculated that mood swings might be a side effect of alcohol withdrawal. _I should read up on this._

His thoughts were interrupted by a minor commotion as team RWBY entered the mess hall. Ruby shrieked, "Uncle Qrow, you’re back!" and hurled herself at him as he turned away from the counter. Qrow managed to put his tea down just in time, before she jumped up and hung around his neck, swinging from it awkwardly. "Alright kiddo," he laughed, "no need to make a fuss."

Yang glanced towards Clover with an enquiring look on her face. He gave her a small thumbs up and she nodded, smiling, before saying something to Blake. They went to fetch their breakfast and took it to the table, where Qrow had now rejoined Clover.

Ruby took a seat opposite the two men, regarding them seriously as she sipped her juice. Suddenly she said, "Uncle Qrow you’ve changed since we came here, you smile more now and you don’t break so many things and I think it’s because of Clover." Clover looked startled and Qrow covered his face.

"It’ll be your turn next," he said behind his hand to Clover, who looked at him in alarm.

"Clover I know we haven’t known you for very long but I can tell you’re different too, you were a bit stuck up to start with and thought you knew everything but now you’re more normal and I think Uncle Qrow is good for you." And with that she finished her juice and said, "I’m having toast now," sliding from her seat to go and get some.

There was a momentary quiet round the table, as Qrow and Clover looked at each other and everyone else looked at their plates. Then the two men started laughing, unable to quite believe what they had just heard. Qrow leaned towards Clover. "You know, I think she might be on to something there."

"You may be right," Clover replied, finding Qrow’s hand under the table and squeezing it tightly.

❖

After Clover had run through the missions for the day and sent the teams on their way, he addressed the only remaining person in the room.

"Just you and me then, Branwen."

Qrow looked surprised. "No work for me? Or you?"

"I thought I’d give us the morning off for once."

Qrow put his feet up on the table, leaning back and tilting the chair onto its rear legs. It fell over with a clatter, taking Qrow with it.

"You okay?" Clover’s voice was concerned.

"I’ve had worse." Qrow rubbed his elbow as he scrambled to his feet. "Why is it I can never do the cool stuff," he grumbled, righting the chair and looking sheepishly at Clover.

"There’s only room for one cool guy in this relationship," Clover told him, "and you’re right, it’s not you."

"Fancy a cup of tea?" Qrow decided to ride past that comment.

"You know, maybe I _will_ have tea for once," said Clover, straightening the remaining chairs and turning the screen off.

"And maybe there’ll be cookies," said Qrow, brightening at the prospect. "Let’s go and see."

The mess hall was almost deserted, just a few breakfast latecomers scattered across the tables. Qrow got two mugs of tea and almost dropped them when Clover called, "There _are_ cookies!"

"Excellent, get me two will you?"

Clover frowned at him but collected three cookies and joined him at a table in the far corner.

"Has anyone ever told you you’re greedy?"

"No. Well yes, to be fair. But it’s the old instinct kicking in. All my life I’ve never known when my next meal might be, so I gather food when I can, just in case."

"Like a squirrel," said Clover, thinking how cute Qrow would be with a bushy tail. "Although I’ve never seen you stashing away apples or broccoli or—"

"We squirrels have our standards," stated Qrow through a mouthful of crumbs.

Clover gazed at him, wondering once more what it was about this man which had triggered the feelings he had. _Doesn’t make sense. But I’m going to enjoy it all the same._

Qrow finished both cookies— _so much for the squirrelling instinct_ , thought Clover, smiling inwardly—and sipped his tea, looking pensive. After a short while he said hesitantly, "I thought it would be everything I’d dreamed of. Somewhere safe, a fixed base. Something that was constant in my life." He paused, reflecting, and went on, "And all that is so much better than how things have been for so long. But—" he paused. Clover glanced at him but said nothing.

Qrow continued, "I do want all those things. I guess I had this idea if I had all that— security, stability, comfort... it would mean I’d be different, I’d no longer be the negative influence that I am.... someone who didn’t bring bad luck to everyone around them."

Clover started to speak, but Qrow said, "No, wait. I don’t want to be that person, that’s true. But I can’t simply undo everything I’ve lived through. And I can’t just wrap myself up in you to separate myself from everything that’s gone before. I can’t _use_ you like that." He heaved a sigh.

"Qrow," Clover said, "when I said that I loved you, what it meant is I love _you_. Not some sanitised cleaned-up Qrow Mk II, who would be a weird version of you that I’d created."

"Actually, that sounds extremely dubious, like something you’d keep hidden in your wardrobe," Qrow said, looking at the other man with concern. "You haven’t—"

"Gods no!" exclaimed Clover, "why would you even—" and then, laughing, he said, "this is what I’m getting at. It’s the odd, slightly grumpy, untidy old Qrow I fell in love with. I promise I don’t want you to turn into a paragon of virtue."

"Less of the old," Qrow muttered, not at all bothered about the grumpy and untidy. "But," he said more clearly, "we’re so different. What if all these quirky foibles of mine start to irritate you after a while? What if your habits start to get on _my_ nerves?"

"What, like insisting we keep the seat down?"

"Yeah, I guess. There’s bound to be other things too."

"Well I’m no expert—" Clover began.

"Are you sure about that?" Qrow grinned at him.

Clover gave him what he hoped was a quelling look. " _But_ , I think the problems start when you try to change who you _are_ to suit the other person. Like, anyone can learn to always close the toilet seat afterwards, but they shouldn’t have to change a fundamental aspect of their character. Unless they’re a dick," he added carelessly.

"I’m not!" complained Qrow, hurt.

"So touchy," whispered Clover.

Qrow chose to ignore this remark. "So... we’re good?" he said, his hand reaching across the table and rubbing lightly against Clover’s.

"I think so," said Clover, "and oh, I’ve just remembered!" Qrow looked at him expectantly.

"Does it involve flapjacks? Are there flapjacks?" he asked hopefully.

Clover looked at Qrow, endearment mingling with confusion on his face. "No, but if you’re good then maybe later," he said patiently.

Qrow pouted. "Well if it isn’t flapjacks then what is it? It’d better be something special to make up for the shattering blow you’ve just delivered."

"Well, it’s an idea from a training course I was on a while ago," began Clover. Qrow’s face could not have fallen farther if it tried. "No listen, it’s a good one. Basically you both agree on the rules of a relationship—" he broke off after seeing Qrow’s face. "Well not rules as such, more guidelines, or reminders. So neither of us lose sight of how we want things to be," he finished, looking at Qrow optimistically.

Qrow studied Clover for several seconds. "I... can’t say the other thing, but what I _can_ say is that I like you very, very much, Clover Ebi."

Clover’s heart grew two sizes too big for his chest as he gripped Qrow's hand tightly. "That’s good," he said, his voice husky.

"And yes, we'll do the guidelines thing if you think it will help."

"It will, I'm confident."

"That you are, sunbeam," grinned Qrow. "Now, what shall we do with the rest of our morning off?"

"I know something that we can do together, guaranteed to work up a sweat."

Qrow looked interested. "Tell me more."

"Your room is a disgrace. We're going to go and tidy it and then clean it. And if you're _very_ good and don't complain too much, I'll make some flapjacks afterwards."

Qrow heaved a sigh. "You drive a hard bargain, but I accept your terms. And your flapjacks." He took the mugs, Clover took the plates, and they dropped them at the counter on their way out.

❖

As they approached Qrow’s quarters Clover said, "I think there might be a surprise waiting for you."

Leaning against the wall was a large mattress and the dismantled frame of a bed. Qrow turned to Clover, his eyes shining. "It’s a bed!"

"Top marks for observation."

"Did you know it would be here? How did you sort it so quickly? Was this morning off all part of a plan?"

"You should know by now, planning is my thing," said Clover, as Qrow opened the door. They went in and Qrow went to the curtains, pulling them wide.

"It’s a bit musty in here, maybe open a window?"

Qrow did so, then began stripping his bed eagerly. "I won’t be sorry to see the back of _you_ ," he said, dragging the narrow mattress into the hallway.

"Just leave it there, it’ll be collected later," called Clover.

"You’ve got this all organised, haven’t you? Thank you," said Qrow, hugging Clover tightly.

"Just call me Mr Organisation."

"Uh, I don’t think so, that would make you even more conceited. I’ll stick to Clover," said Qrow. "How do we dismantle this thing?" he said, kicking one end of his bed frame. There was a creaking sound and the frame collapsed at one corner. "Oh, like that then."

"Probably safer to use this," said Clover, producing a screwdriver— _from where exactly? His uniform fits so closely—_ and beginning to take the frame apart. Qrow looked at him in astonishment.

"You’re remarkable, do you know that?"

"Of course," said Clover, "people tell me all the time."

Qrow resisted the urge to poke Clover in case the frame collapsed on him. It was soon in pieces and stacked in the hallway.

"Okay, you put your clothes away and I’ll have a quick clean up," said Clover. "Then we can bring the new one in."

For once Qrow was keen to get his room tidy. He was ridiculously pleased with the idea of a new bed, and wondered briefly if it was a nesting thing.

Once the bed was in place there wasn’t as much floor space, but Qrow didn’t mind. He stretched out on the mattress, turning one way and the other.

"Perfect!" he declared, "Thank you for getting this sorted."

"Not _quite_ perfect. You need some bigger bed sheets and stuff."

"I’ll go down to the stores and get them later. It works fine for now," Qrow said. "Come and see."

"Are you sure? Don’t want to crowd your new space."

"I’m issuing a formal invitation to my bed," said Qrow. "Only one person invited. You."

Clover sat on the edge of the bed and stroked a line down Qrow’s arm. "I feel— nervous. Like it’s the first time."

"Then let’s pretend it is. We don’t have to do any more than we want to."

Clover removed his boots and stretched out next to Qrow. "For a miserable old bloke you can be very understanding."

"That’s twice today you’ve called me old. Should I be getting a complex?"

"Who’s counting? Don’t say you’re getting vain in your dotage," smirked Clover.

Qrow reached down and began to unbuckle Clover’s belt. "I'll ignore that uncalled-for remark. Don’t assume anything by what I’m doing here, it’s just that your belt always digs into me."

"You like your comfort, don’t you?"

"Well, when you’ve spent your entire life not knowing where you’ll be sleeping at the end of every day—"

Clover cut him short. "You realise this whole _I’ve spent my whole life wandering in the wilds and don’t know the meaning of comfort and food_ spiel isn’t going to work every time?"

"Might have known not to expect sympathy from a soldier. Your entire training programme was probably living in a box and eating dirt," huffed Qrow, turning his back on Clover.

Clover looked simultaneously baffled, amused, and worried.

"One, you really don’t understand military training. Two, I love the way you can make me laugh at my own life. Three, are we having a row? Already?"

Qrow said nothing, only wriggling his hips in an inviting way. With a smile, Clover snuggled in behind him. He rested a tentative hand on Qrow’s side, which Qrow immediately took hold of and held in front of him.

"This is nice?" Clover wanted to be sure Qrow wasn’t really mad.

"Mmm. Okay if we just cwtch for a bit?"

"Uh, maybe when I know what that even means." Clover wasn’t going to agree until he was in full possession of the facts.

"Just this... snuggling up with someone you’re fond of. That’s all."

"Let’s do it." Clover cwtched a little closer, moving his other arm above his head so he could softly stroke Qrow’s hair. He felt the other man’s body relax against his. After only a few minutes, Qrow’s breathing became heavier and he began to snore quietly.

Clover smiled against the back of Qrow’s head. _This is so much better than yesterday_. He allowed his eyes to close and before long, both men were fast asleep.

❖

When Clover opened his eyes several hours later it took him a moment to get his bearings. Whilst his front was warm and cosy pressed against Qrow, his back was cold and he seemed to have lost the use of his right arm.

With painstaking care he removed his other hand from Qrow’s grasp, and managed to edge backwards off the bed without disturbing the older man. _Poor old guy needs his sleep_ , he thought, _although_ _that’s unkind as I obviously needed mine too_.

The light in the room had dimmed even though it was only early afternoon. Clover looked out at the lowering sky, before pulling the window almost closed. He decided he would leave Qrow to sleep on, and looked about for a blanket.

Quietly opening the wardrobe, he viewed its contents in horror as they almost fell out on top of him. A jumble of clothes and bedding with the odd towel thrown in for good measure. Clover’s neat and tidy mind could barely comprehend how anyone could live like this. With a wry grin, he pulled out something which he hoped was a blanket, and quickly shut the door before everything else tried to follow.

Fortunately it _was_ a blanket and he gently draped it over Qrow, pausing to consider the softly snoring man before turning away with a smile.

He decided to write Qrow a note before he left, and wondered if there was anything here he could use. Slightly reluctantly he opened a drawer in the dresser, the tangle of socks and underwear which was revealed not helping his cause at all.

The next drawer looked more promising. There were a few notebooks and several pencils of various colours. Clover opened the first notebook, determined not to focus on anything in it, but hoping for a blank page he could use. He quickly realised it wasn’t a notebook. It was a sketch pad.

Turning the pages slowly, he marvelled at the drawings Qrow had done. There were many of birds, mostly corvids but others too. His heart jumped a little as he turned a page. The kingfisher perched on a branch by a riverbank, its jewel-bright azure feathers seeming to flutter in the breeze even though the air in the room was still.

Just managing to suppress the feeling he shouldn’t be doing this, Clover turned several pages at once hoping to find a blank sheet towards the back of the book. What he actually found, after a few sketches of Harbinger, was a page showing a very familiar face. His own.

Clover’s breath stopped in his chest. He felt this was showing him something intimate that Qrow would not necessarily want him to see. He tried not to look at the drawing, but could not resist. It was a strange thought to see yourself through the eyes of another person. _Definitely me, although is my nose_ really _that shape?_ Mentally jolting himself, he managed to turn the page, skipping over a few more roughly drawn sketches before finally finding a blank sheet, which he tore out carefully before returning the book to the drawer.

Feeling he had just woken up from a strange dream, he looked back to the bed where Qrow slept on, oblivious. Clover breathed out a long sigh and, taking a pencil, wrote quickly before folding the note and propping it where Qrow was sure to see it. He quietly pulled on his boots and let himself out, noting with satisfaction Qrow’s old bed had already been removed from the hallway.

As he walked away from Qrow’s quarters, he pondered thoughtfully on the hidden aspects of the man’s character, and how much there was yet to discover about Qrow Branwen.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You put your arms around me and I'm home  
>  _Arms - Christina Perri_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: [Crown Shyness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_shyness) is a real thing.  
> 

❖

It was two days later, and patrols had finished a couple of hours ago. Clover approached Qrow's door and knocked tentatively. There was a clatter from inside, a shout of "Gods!" and then the door opened. Qrow's face brightened when he saw Clover.

"I should give you the access code, although I don't imagine you'll come here as often as I'll be at yours," he said. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Maybe in a bit. I brought you a present. Well, two presents in fact."

Qrow looked delighted. "Two at once! I don't get many presents."

"This one is sort of like a house warming present. Or maybe a bed warming present now you've got a bed you're happy to sleep in. Although it's nothing to do with a bed." Clover produced his first gift from behind his back with a flourish.

Qrow peered at the collection of twigs in the glass vase with a puzzled expression. He looked at Clover, who beamed back at him.

"Winter Jasmine."

"Uh, none the wiser I'm afraid."

"It may look like a withered collection of dead twigs, but in a few days it will flower and you'll wonder how much beauty can suddenly appear on a wizened thing that seemed to have no life."

"Why do I have the feeling there's a hidden meaning here?" Qrow took the vase carefully and placed it on the dresser, having first pushed a miscellany of items out of the way. Some of them fell on the floor.

Clover winced. "You need to put water in the vase and make sure it doesn't dry out. Here, let me." He put the paper bag he was still holding onto a small table and took the vase to the bathroom. "There you go. Keep it about half-full of water."

Qrow stood back and admired his twigs.

"When the flowers open they have a lovely scent," said Clover encouragingly. "But— that wasn't the only reason I called round." He motioned to Qrow to sit on the bed, drawing up a chair to sit opposite him. Qrow started to worry.

"I have something to tell you, Qrow. It's important and I don't want to keep it from you. I don't want us to have secrets."

Qrow wondered if this was going to be one of those sessions where you had to keep telling the other person stories about your past until they'd heard enough and just walked out on you. He looked at Clover, whose face wore a concerned expression.

"Okay, let me guess. You're not gay. You really _do_ have a Qrow Mk II in your wardrobe. You never meant it when you said you like my bony butt. Am I getting warm?"

"If warm means you've been burned because you're hopeless at guessing, then yes." Clover couldn't help smiling at this man who never failed to surprise him with the preposterous things he said.

"I don't think it means that. You'd better just tell me." Qrow prepared himself for the worst.

"The other day, when we fell asleep on your new bed, and I left early and wrote you a note..."

"Yes, my new bed. How could I forget?"

"Well, when I was looking for a piece of paper to write on— I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have, I didn't mean to."

Qrow was puzzled. "It wasn't a bad note," he said reassuringly. "I kept it, actually." He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing.

_Gods, how I love him._ Clover tried to re-focus.

"That's really sweet. But the thing is, I got the piece of paper from a sketch pad in your drawer."

Qrow looked up sharply. "Oh."

"Your drawings are beautiful, Qrow. But you hadn't shown them to me, I shouldn't have looked... I'm sorry." Clover was linking and unlinking his fingers, his face down but his eyes looking anxiously up at Qrow.

Qrow's face was unreadable. _I've hurt him. This was a private thing and I've blundered in—_

"It's okay," Qrow said after a moment. "They're no big deal—"

"They are, don't put yourself down, you have a real talent," Clover interrupted.

"Thanks, but you know, it's just doodling, something to pass the time." Qrow smiled a little.

"They're more than doodles, honestly. I saw the one of the kingfisher, it looked... alive. It was very good."

"Did you see the ones at the back?" Qrow asked in an off-hand way.

"Uh yes, I did. Is my nose _really_ that shape?" Clover couldn't resist asking.

"No, it isn't. I can't get it right. I need to study you more." Qrow looked at him thoughtfully.

"Well, you know what they say. You can't capture perfection."

Qrow grabbed a pillow and threw it at Clover's perfect face. "Don't deflect when I'm being angry with you."

"So you _are_ cross. I can't say sorry enough, I knew it was wrong and I should have stopped looking but I couldn't help it. No that's a lie. I _could_ have helped it but I didn't want to."

"You're crushing me with your contrition," said Qrow. "I'm glad you told me, but it's okay, really. I guess I would've shown you eventually... I mean it's not a secret vice or anything. Other people are aware of it."

"So long as you're sure. It seemed like such a big deal in my head."

"No, you're good. As a matter of fact—" Qrow jumped up and went to the dresser. "I was trying something out earlier, would you like to see?"

"Yes please." Clover was relieved the problem he'd foreseen was not in fact a problem at all.

Qrow flipped through the sketch pad until he found what he was looking for. He held it out towards Clover and sat back on the bed.

The scene was another riverbank, although this time there was no kingfisher. Clover was pictured sitting with his back against a tree, one leg stretched out in front of him, the other propped up. On his bent knee perched a sleek black bird with a tuft of feathers on its head, and bright red eyes which seemed to be regarding the man in the picture. Clover had one hand raised and was touching the bird's head in an affectionate gesture.

Clover looked up from the page and handed the pad back to Qrow.

"You don't like it?" He sounded disappointed.

"No no, it's not that," Clover said, rubbing his face, "I didn't want to spoil it by getting it wet."

Qrow put the pad to one side and rose to sit himself on Clover's lap. He gently wiped the tears from his cheeks and kissed his eyelids. "Ebi, you are the sweetest person I know. I—" he broke off. Whatever he had been going to say, for the moment remained unsaid.

"What about that tea?" he asked brightly, jumping to his feet and picking up the kettle from the counter. Clover's thoughts were racing ahead to how Qrow's unfinished sentence might have ended.

"Oh yeah, why not." His heart was doing push-ups in his chest as he reminded himself, _it's only a word. When he's ready, he will say it._ Clover hoped very much that one day, Qrow would be ready.

❖

Qrow brought the mugs in and handed one to Clover, returning to sit on the bed. He gestured to the space alongside him. "Why don't you sit here, it's a bit more comfortable."

"Wait a minute." Clover fetched the paper bag from the table and took it with him, handing it to Qrow as he sat alongside. Qrow raised his eyebrows.

"It's your second present. Though I'm hoping you'll share it with me."

Qrow peered inside the bag. "Flapjacks! You remembered."

"Well, I had promised... you did a good job tidying the room when we put this bed in the other day. Although—" He looked about him, commenting, "You don't really have a lot of space in here now, do you?"

"It's a small price to pay. Being able to stretch out in bed makes it worthwhile." Qrow munched on a flapjack. "These are good, thank you."

Clover sipped his tea, gazing ahead with a slight frown. "I was out walking the other day and I saw two trees."

"Okay, sudden change of subject. Is there a moral to this story?"

"Be quiet Branwen, I'm trying to make sense here. I saw two trees, growing quite close together. There weren't any leaves on them to speak of, so you could see the branches clearly, all the way to the little twiggy ends."

Qrow had seen plenty of branches up close during time spent in his crow form. He had no clue where this was going.

"So the twiggy bits kind of intermingled, and criss-crossed over each other, but I couldn't see any point where they touched. They kind of went this way and that, very close but not getting in each other's way."

Qrow wasn't sure if they'd reached the end of the story or not. He was about to say something, when Clover continued.

"And I thought what a good idea that was, if you were spending time close to someone. You share the same space but at no point do you get tangled up, or get in the other person's way, or stop them from doing what they want to do. And I thought, that's how we could be. How we _should_ be." He glanced sideways to see Qrow watching him, with a soft smile on his face.

"You like to get things sorted, don't you?" The other man said. Clover looked crestfallen. "No no, I'm not criticising, not at all." Qrow shifted slightly so he could look at Clover. "It's something I'm learning to love about you. I know I tease you about stuff like that... you know that's just me, right? The way you think things through— I love it. I mean you don't always come to the right conclusion, but nobody's perfect." He looked into Clover's face and smiled. "I liked what you said. It sounds like an ideal blueprint."

Clover exhaled heavily. "I was a bit worried there that I sounded like a pretentious idiot."

Qrow considered making a joke but decided against it. He carefully edged down the bed and rested his head on Clover's shoulder. "No, you have good ideas. The best of which is putting up with me."

Clover put his arm around Qrow's shoulders. "It's a tough job, but someone has to do it."

"You just keep on keeping on," said Qrow contentedly.

Clover pulled him closer, and they finished their tea in comfortable silence.

❖

"Okay if I read my book?" Clover waved his scroll in Qrow's direction.

"Yeah, sure." Qrow took the mugs to the kitchen area and washed them under the tap. Clover watched him, a soft smile curving his mouth. He returned to his scroll and found the book he wanted, wriggling on the bed to get comfortable before continuing to read. He didn't notice Qrow taking his sketch pad and a pencil from the dresser.

After half an hour or so Qrow stood up and stretched, yawning lazily. Clover glanced at him.

"You tired?"

"A bit, but I don't want to go to sleep too early. I'll only wake up at some gods-forsaken hour." He took the pad to return it to the drawer.

"Can I see? If that's okay?"

Qrow flicked through the pages and held out the pad to Clover. "I did a couple."

The first sketch was the Winter Jasmine. On the next page was Clover.

"Are you happier with the nose now?" Clover said, unable to determine whether it was accurate or not.

"A bit. I'm afraid I'm going to have to stare at you a lot more before I get it right."

"Fine by me, as long as I get to stare back." Clover handed the pad back as he stood up. "Uh, I should be getting back, I guess."

Qrow raised his eyebrows. "You can stay if you like. Plenty of room now my fairy godmother has granted my wish for a wider bed."

Clover poked him in the chest. "I'll stay then. Just don't ever call me a fairy godmother again."

"I could probably think of worse." Qrow poked him back.

"So, you want a poke fight? Winner gets first use of the bathroom."

Qrow pushed Clover back onto the bed. "I should warn you, hours of playing with Yang and Ruby have honed my skills."

"I don't stand a chance, do I?"

"Nope."

Qrow won the poke fight comfortably as Clover, crying with laughter, conceded defeat. "Legendary Huntsman Branwen wins again."

"I do indeed. Sorry Ebi, you're going to have to wait." He kissed the vanquished man on the forehead, before sliding off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

❖

Clover slipped in beside Qrow and lay on his side, propped up on one elbow. "That was a nice evening. Very homely. Well, apart from the poke fight."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was," Qrow agreed. He rolled onto his side and reached out a hand, lightly stroking Clover's chest. "I'm actually feeling quite tired."

"That's okay, we don't have to get jiggy every night, you know."

" _Get jiggy_ ," Qrow scoffed. "The things you youngsters come out with." He continued to circle his fingers over Clover's chest. Clover put out a hand and brushed Qrow's untidy fringe away from his forehead.

"Although now I come to think of it," Qrow remarked, "I don't believe I'm as tired as I thought I was."

Clover looked at him and grinned. "Well, in that case, let jiggyness commence."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And no I'm not your soldier  
> I'm not taking any orders  
>  _All For Nothing - Linkin Park_

❖

It was the third day of routine patrols around Mantle, with a couple of special operations thrown in. Clover assigned Qrow and himself to one of the straightforward patrols, mixing the Ace Ops in with the others and dividing them between the remaining missions. He had been trying hard to make sure he and Qrow had time apart, and so far it seemed to be helping.

"I won't make a habit of pairing us up," he said to Qrow, as they made their way to the transport which would take them to the surface. "That would probably get General Ironwood's attention. And I think we're doing better like this?"

"Yeah, we are. It's working out okay, I reckon. And you're right, can't make a habit of it. Your enthusiasm round the clock would wear me out."

"None of your lip, soldier," barked Clover, stealing a sideways glance at Qrow whilst trying to keep his smirk under control.

"Mmm, so _hot_." Qrow climbed the steps into the transport, conscious of Clover right behind him, radiating an energy that made his legs feel a little weak. _Not good_. _Must concentrate better_. And in trying too hard to be aware of where his feet were going, he missed his footing and slipped. Clover steadied him, hands on Qrow's hips which didn't help at all, and with a gruff, "Thanks" he finally managed to board.

They disembarked in the outskirts of Mantle, tasked with assessing the perimeter fence, which had been erected as a first line of defence against the Grimm. Falling into a matching stride they proceeded slowly, finding several points of weakness in the barrier and documenting these as they went.

"Some of these areas look odd," Clover commented. "It's not the sort of damage we usually see."

"You mean the areas that look as if they've been set on fire? Probably Sphinx, maybe Leviathan? They do look different. The level of damage would suggest the fire was far more intense than usual." Qrow recorded the details on his scroll, and they moved on.

After a while, Qrow continued, "You were going to tell me all about Jimmy and how you two first met. Is this a good time?"

"As good as any," Clover replied.

They walked on slowly, and after a short while Clover spoke. "I was born in Mantle. My parents and sister were killed by Grimm when I was fourteen. I was scouted by the military and enrolled in the academy for training. The General—I didn't realise this at the time—had noticed me somehow and was monitoring my progress. After I got my licence I was fast-tracked into the Ace Ops programme. And here we are." He fell silent.

Qrow wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry, I didn't know about your family. It sounds dreadful, what can I say?" He took Clover's hand and held it tightly.

"No, no it really wasn't, not all of it anyway. Losing my family—" he broke off, coughed a little, and continued, "that was horrible... but that stuff was happening all the time, it wasn't just me. I was one of the lucky ones, getting picked up as I was. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd had to sort my own life out. I didn't have a clue back then. Everything I am today, I owe to the military."

Qrow felt a chill pass through him. "You give them too much credit." His voice was harsh. "You were already on the way to being the person you are now when they found you. They took you because they saw your potential. If they see someone they can use, they'll take them. It's what they do."

Clover shook his head. "It didn't feel like that. The General's always been— not kind exactly, but he's always looked out for me. I owe him a lot. Although—" he broke off.

"What is it?"

"It's— I'm not sure, it was something he said when I spoke to him the other week. About us." He hesitated. "I don't know if I should say this, but... well, why not, I've told you everything else he said. It was when he was saying how he didn't have a problem with us— getting together. He called you and the others an asset, and if we were together it might help keep you here..." Clover's voice trailed off. "Now I've said that out loud, it sounds... bad. He doesn't see you as a person, just someone he can use."

Qrow didn't know how to respond. _Damn you, Jimmy. How dare you try to treat me and the kids like pawns in whatever game you're playing?_ He looked at Clover's face, which wore a stricken expression.

"I feel awful." Clover's voice was quiet. "The General has always said how Atlas comes first, and everything we do is for Atlas, and it always sounded so selfless, but now..." his voice petered out. "It's like I've never really heard what he's said before."

"Yeah." Qrow's voice was bitter, "Jimmy's full of Atlas, isn't he? Funny how Mantle never seems to get a mention."

Clover's mouth tightened. "That's— not how I feel. Mantle is as important to me as Atlas— more important! Surely the General sees that? He hasn't always been like this. He can't have been. Have I been wrong about him all this time?"

"He hasn't. You haven't." Qrow caught Clover's shoulder to stop him walking on. A quick look round confirmed there were no civilians nearby; the area was deserted. "Clover, listen," he said firmly. "The General— his behaviour, the way he's been since we arrived... he's different. It's true he hasn't always been like this. Something's changed. Don't beat yourself up about it." He slid his arms around the other man's waist and held him tightly. After a moment, Clover returned the hug, pressing his face against Qrow's hair.

"I enjoy my job." Clover's voice was muffled. "I've only ever wanted to serve the people of Atlas and Mantle. I thought that was what drove the General, too. Now, I'm not so sure. I always thought I knew what he was thinking— prided myself on doing what he wanted. But why does he need to keep you _on side?_ What is he planning?"

"That's something we need to find out. The thing is," Qrow continued, "you know I don't buy into all this military stuff. Obviously when you're ordering me around in your uniform, that's a different story," he smiled, and was rewarded with a small chuckle from Clover. "But you know I'm not great with authority and all that goes with it. Doesn't mean I don't respect most of the work you do, I just couldn't do it myself. But it doesn't need to be a problem between us."

Clover pulled away from Qrow and found his hands, holding them against the cloverleaf pin on his chest. "I'm beginning to realise you coming here is the biggest piece of luck I could ever have wished for."

"You realise you are heaping pressure upon a frail body already riven with the vagaries of a dissolute life? Or something. However," he continued, ignoring Clover's fond yet bemused expression, "I will do my best to make myself worthy of you."

"Can't ask for more than that." Clover pulled Qrow into a hug which almost crushed him. "Now, soldier, we have a patrol to finish." They continued walking slowly.

"You feeling okay?" asked Qrow, "I mean, with all this Jimmy stuff."

"I don't know. I was so grateful to the military for giving me the life I've had, and I've always been confident I was doing the right thing. But now—". His voice hardened. "I'll be keeping a close watch on General Ironwood from now on."

The patrol continued, both men deep in thought. _We're right not to trust Jimmy_ , reflected Qrow. _But how many people does he have at his back who still haven't seen through him?_

❖

After a while they had completed the section of wall which needed inspection. Both men sensed a line had been crossed, and the desire to leave the harsh reality of Mantle meant they returned to the transport as soon as they could. A short flight later, they were once more in Atlas and heading to the accommodation block.

Clover had not spoken on the journey back, and although Qrow wanted to say something, he didn't know how he could help. _I'm not very good at this empathy stuff_ , he reflected, but decided to give it a try anyway.

"Uh, you seem like you want some space," he began."I mean, if you want to head off, I've probably got some socks to wash or something."

"Actually, I'd appreciate some company. If that's okay." Clover regarded him with a slight smile. He could tell Qrow was trying and that was enough. "Do you fancy a cup of tea?"

"You know the way to a man's heart." Qrow blushed as he realised what he'd said. He came to a halt and Clover turned to face him.

Clover rested his hand briefly on Qrow's chest. "Exactly," he said, and they continued on to Clover's quarters, the pace of their footsteps quickening.

❖

Clover brought the mugs through and placed them on the low table in front of the sofa. He handed one to Qrow and said, "Well, my origin story conversation didn't pan out quite like I'd imagined."

"Thanks." Qrow took the mug and immediately dripped some tea onto his trousers. "Dammit." He continued, "Sorry. I mean, not really sorry, if Jimmy turns out to be even more of a bastard than I always thought he might be. Truth hurts and all that, but if you're seeing something in him too—"

"I am, and it's hard. To think he might not be the protector of the people I've always thought he was. To think I've been... duped all these years."

Qrow put his mug on the floor. "Not duped. Seems to me you try to see the best in people. That isn't a fault in you." He smiled. "Sometimes they deserve it. Sometimes," his smile disappeared, "they don't."

There was a buzzing on their scrolls. "Debriefing in thirty minutes," Clover said.

"Winter likes to keep a handle on things," Qrow remarked, putting his scroll back in his pocket.

"She's a good officer."

"Yeah, the Ice Queen knows what she's doing all right." Qrow's voice was flat. Clover looked at him.

"Ice Queen? You not a fan of Specialist Schnee?"

"You could say that," Qrow replied with a mirthless smile.

"Qrow, are we going to be able to agree on anything?" Clover asked, smiling but with a tense note to his voice.

"There's sure to be a few things. Yang told me there were bound to be difficulties in the early stages of any relationship." He laughed at Clover's horror-struck expression.

"Your nieces—" stuttered Clover.

"I know, right? Yang anyway, she's just so... forthright. Ruby doesn't have a clue," he smiled, "which makes life easier around her. In some ways."

Clover finished his tea and stood up, taking the mugs back to the kitchen to rinse them. Qrow followed him and came up close behind him, putting his arms around Clover as he stood before the sink. "Everything will be alright," Qrow said, amazing himself with his new-found optimism.

Clover turned round, drying his hands on Qrow's shirt by rubbing them against his chest.

"Watch it," said Qrow, perfectly happy with the sensation, "you're picking up some bad habits here."

"I can live with it," smiled Clover, bending to kiss Qrow's forehead. "Now, we've got a meeting to get to." He turned Qrow around and patted his butt firmly as they headed out for the debriefing.

❖

Specialist Winter Schnee stood before the large screen and pointed to different sections of the map displayed there. Clover had reported his and Qrow's findings, and she had marked areas of the perimeter fence needing attention.

"Now," she said, "the reports of the nature of the Grimm gatherings gives me cause for concern. There seems to be a— change in their behaviour. An escalation of sorts."

"Grimm attacks in the past have varied in their intensity and frequency. However, they have always seemed random, haphazard even. The attacks can have shocking outcomes of course, but we have never discerned any method in their nature. No suggestion that there was an overall plan."

Qrow leaned forward, his elbows on the table and a furrow on his brow. If the Grimm were getting organised, this could be very bad news—

Winter continued. "I'd like to increase the patrols. Nothing to alarm the citizens, but we need more intel. We need to log every Grimm attack— location, time of day, number and type of Grimm, nature of the attack, targets, casualties, and anything else that is noteworthy. Specialist Ebi, can you organise this?"

Clover acknowledged her, busy tapping into his scroll. "Of course, Specialist Schnee."

"Any other business?" asked Winter as she turned the screen off. There was none, the Hunters exchanging glances amongst themselves which ranged from worried to pugnacious. "Very well, debriefing concluded." Winter turned and walked briskly from the room.

There was an immediate increase in the noise level as several animated conversations started at once. Clover and Qrow exchanged a look. "This is going to— liven things up a bit," said Qrow.

After giving the clamour a chance to subside, Clover stood up. "No more speculation, it's fruitless. We all need time to think about what the ramifications of this might be. I'll be assigning new patrols later, so check your scrolls in the morning for more details. And try to get a good night's sleep, we need to be at the top of our game tomorrow."

Qrow spoke to his charges before they left. "Don't get too worried kids, if there's anything going on, well we've got a head start on dealing with it. Gotta love how that military machine swings into action." Ruby eyed him suspiciously.

"Since when were you such a fan of Atlas military Uncle Qrow? You've certainly changed your tune after all the things you used to say."

Clover coughed loudly, turning away as Qrow had the grace to look embarrassed. "Come on kiddo, you and the others better go and get some food," he said, shooing them out of the room. Clover reckoned it was probably safe to laugh once they'd left.

"Ruby tells a few home truths," he smirked.

"Hmph, she needs to learn some tact," muttered Qrow. "And anyway," he said, deftly changing the subject, "talking of food—"

"I'll cook for us if you like," Clover offered. Qrow looked at him and wondered yet again for how long good fortune would continue to rain down upon him.

"I like," he grinned. They walked towards the door, the moment only slightly marred by Qrow attempting to go through at the same time as Clover, causing both men to get briefly wedged in the doorway. Elm and Vine, the last of the stragglers, were just rounding the corner at the end of the corridor when they heard the sound of laughter. Looking back, they saw their superior officer and Huntsman Branwen in a tangle on the floor. "Men!" huffed Elm, "there's no understanding them."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where secrets lie  
> In the border fires  
> In the humming wires  
>  _Red Right Hand - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds_

❖

After Clover had cooked pasta and they'd eaten, Qrow leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face. "Not bad," he remarked. "Of course, you can't better an emaciated rabbit that's been almost cooked over a smoking campfire, but that— I'd say seven out of ten."

Clover folded his arms and looked at Qrow ominously. "Washing-up detail for you," he said. "And anyway, you didn't exactly hold back. I've never seen anyone put their food away like that. Where does it all go?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Qrow archly, rather spoiling the moment by choking as he realised what he'd said. "Ebi, you've got me talking complete nonsense like some sort of smitten idiot, and it's not good enough," he said crossly.

"But I love it." Clover rose from his chair and walked round to stand behind Qrow. He traced his fingers through Qrow's dark hair. "Surely you can tell..." Qrow shivered and caught hold of Clover's hands.

"Well, yeah, I was getting this vibe—" he began.

"Oh gods, please don't say _daddy-o_ ," grinned Clover. "You're so _old._ "

Qrow stood up suddenly. "And you're so adorable, but don't let it go to your head."

"Tell you what." Clover pulled Qrow close and kissed him at the corner of his mouth. "The washing-up can wait. Although," he added, drawing back, "I'd better put the dishes in to soak. It'll make it easier for you when you come to do it."

He collected the bowls from the table and took them to the kitchen. Qrow gathered everything else, laughing inwardly at how a man who so obviously wanted to go to bed could simultaneously think about sorting out the dirty dishes.

❖

Later they lay together in the darkened room, enveloped in a cocoon of warmth so complete and secure that Qrow thought if his life was to end, please gods let it end like this. _That's more like the old me, thinking about death at the most inappropriate moments._ He wriggled himself backwards against Clover's body. The other man, who had been drifting off to sleep, suddenly pitched back into wakefulness. "The patrols! I've got to assign the teams before tomorrow!"

"Bad luck," grinned Qrow, half-turning towards him. "Can I help?" he asked, confident his offer would be declined.

"Not really. But thanks anyway." Clover dropped a kiss on Qrow's forehead and scrambled out of bed. "It shouldn't take too long, keep the bed warm for me."

"I can manage that." Qrow stretched his legs across the bed to luxuriate in the warmth Clover had left there. His eyelids slowly drifted shut.

Clover stood by the bed for a few moments, considering the sleeping man with an almost aching look of yearning on his face. He mentally shook himself, grabbed some clothes from the floor and pulled them on, heading for his desk with a sigh.

_Assigning teams for patrols is something I can do with one hand tied behind my back,_ he thought. _I'll be back in the bed before it's even cooled down._

❖

The mood around the Hunters and the Ace Ops had changed, Clover noticed. There was a tautness in the air; less laughter in the mess hall, more quiet conversations between small groups of people. The consequences of an organised Grimm attack would not be slight, and everyone was worried about what Winter's debriefing meant, and what might happen next.

The regular patrols had increased in frequency, and the data Winter had requested was being gathered and collated. The mood in Mantle was much the same as it ever was— ordinary people making the best of their less than perfect daily lives, continuing to live and work as they always did. When Clover patrolled the streets, however, he was seeing them with new eyes. Was Mantle always this grey? Had the people always looked so... defeated? They hurried about their business, heads bowed, intent only on where they were going. _There's no joy here_ , he thought. _There hasn't been for a long time._

The disparity between the forlorn expressions he encountered on the streets of Mantle, and the constant bubble of happiness which he carried within him each day, was a cause of some distress. He felt guilty that these times, dangerous for so many people, had brought to him a man who had changed his world view, and given him affection which he never expected. _It's an overused phrase,_ thought Clover, _but Qrow has truly changed my life._

Qrow, meanwhile, was wondering what kind of shit-show he and his companions had flown into in Atlas. It had seemed the obvious destination at the time, a place of safety. Not that there had been too much choice, but he'd thought General Ironwood and his military machine would offer some protection and respite to his weary group. Now it seemed Ironwood was carving out a plan of his own, and what it would lead to Qrow couldn't imagine. He just knew it was unlikely to be anything good.

❖

Clover was a little surprised when he heard a light knock on the door to his quarters. He wasn't expecting anyone, and Qrow—who now had the access code anyway—was spending time with his nieces, so who was it? He opened the door, a little taken aback to see Winter Schnee standing before him in her customary upright pose. She glanced at him, then looked up and down the hallway before stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

Clover stepped back abruptly, his curiosity aroused. He and Winter had a good working relationship but he rarely socialised with her, finding that her stiff demeanour made her seem unapproachable. At a professional level they could communicate easily, on a personal level, not so much.

"Apologies for intruding, Ebi," she said, "but there are some things I need to tell you, and a private place is essential." Clover's thoughts sped up as he wondered what she meant. _This can't be some sort of come on, she surely knows about me and Qrow, and anyway, I'd always assumed she was—_

His thoughts were interrupted by Winter. "I've made some— discoveries. I am unsure of their meaning, or how to proceed, and I need to speak to you about it."

Relieved and at the same time wondering how he could have been about to get things so wrong, Clover said, "Come and sit down. What have you got?"

Winter picked her way past the low table to sit at one end of the sofa. Clover took the opposite end, wondering what she could possibly have discovered that necessitated this kind of secrecy. He'd noticed the way she had looked along the corridor, and speculated that for some reason she might be suffering from paranoia.

"I'm not being paranoid," Winter began. Clover snapped back from his thoughts with a jolt. _Can she read minds?_ He rubbed his nose. _Now who's being paranoid?_

"I was analysing the data from the patrols. They have done well, by the way. Please pass on my commendations."

"I will," replied Clover. "What did you find?"

"Something I wasn't looking for." She stood up suddenly, smoothing down her jacket and beginning to pace slowly about the room. "I was plotting the locations of the Grimm attacks, trying to see if there was a pattern."

"And was there?" Clover asked, wishing she would sit back down. Following her back and forth was making his neck ache.

"None that I've been able to discern so far. But when I was looking on the system for some geographical charts to cross-reference against, I found something more interesting." Clover raised an enquiring eyebrow. "A folder containing a number of encrypted files."

Clover was not au fait with the in-depth workings of the computer systems they used. He was a competent user, but he did not claim to have a detailed knowledge; that was Specialist Schnee's forte. However, he was fully aware of security requirements and the need to protect sensitive information from prying eyes.

"And you think..." he prompted.

"I think they should not have been there," she replied. "That area of the system is only accessible to three officers, all with identical security clearance. It would be violating protocol for one person to attempt to hide information from the others."

"And those three officers are—" Clover began, although he already knew their names.

"You, myself, and General Ironwood," stated Winter. She finally stopped pacing the room, and stood to face him, the expression on her face inscrutable.

"Taking a risk coming here, aren't you? If you're suggesting you've uncovered something covert I've been doing—" said Clover, his eyes fixed on her face.

To his surprise, Winter gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh Ebi, you're precious," she said. "It would be a strange twist indeed if you were the antagonist here. We are not living within the pages of one of those pulp fiction novels you love to read," with a dismissive wave towards his bookshelf.

Clover looked a little irked by her disparaging comments. "I could do it. I could be the clean-cut, too-good-to-be-true heroic type who goes bad for no obvious reason in the final chapter."

Winter looked at him pityingly. "Yes, of course," she said, deciding to humour him. "But you're not, are you? So, let's have no more of that nonsense, and address the more important question. What is General Ironwood trying to hide from us?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some nights we open up the flood  
> And some nights we are lost  
> And some nights we're choking on the words  
> But some we light on fire  
>  _Never Look Away - Vienna Tang_

❖

Qrow sipped from his glass of lemonade. He had yet to find a drink as palatable as any of the various alcoholic beverages he had consumed over the years. Lemonade would have to do for now.

He was slouched in one of the low chairs in the Ace Ops common room, watching Ruby explain to Elm the finer points of Super Mech Battle 4. Elm was struggling, but doing her best to follow Ruby's words. "And if you press A, B, and the left trigger you can choose which weapon to fight with and if you press A, B, and the right trigger that will allow you to select your defensive stance and if you..."

Ruby's voice faded into the background as Qrow studied his lemonade, swirling the liquid round and round in the glass. Some of the drink slopped out onto his hand and he cursed, putting the glass down and blotting his hand on his trousers. He wondered why his brain would not focus on anything, and realised this was because it was quite happy focussing on Clover.

_And why not?_ _There's no harm in it._ _He's gorgeous, he's kind, he makes me laugh, he cooks me pasta—_

"Uncle Qrow it's your turn I beat Elm and now it's you versus me," called Ruby, intruding annoyingly into Qrow's reverie. He took his drink and moved into a seat nearer the screen, trying to feign interest as Ruby told him enthusiastically how Super Mech Battle 4 was so much better than Super Mech Battle 3 in every way. "You can even switch things round so that you are the weapon and the weapon is you and that will confuse your opponent unless they do it at the same time and then... well I don't know 'cause it's never happened but I expect it would be MAYHEM!" she said loudly, speaking faster and faster.

Qrow turned and gave her a stern look. "Kiddo, I'm more than happy to play Super Mech whatever but please, no more shouting or I'm off."

Ruby looked chastened. "Sorry Uncle Qrow but it's the first proper games night we've had and it's been such fun! It's a shame not all the Ace Ops were here but they might come next time and that will be even better. I'll hand Clover's ass to him in a decorative basket," she said confidently.

"Um, maybe best not to tell him that." Qrow tried, and failed, to stop the image of Clover's ass in any sort of basket from entering his thoughts.

After no more than two minutes of gameplay Ruby's mech had annihilated the one controlled by Qrow. For some reason he just couldn't concentrate this evening. Ruby complained, "Come on Uncle Qrow you can do better than that I'm not even trying and you still lost."

"Sorry Rubes, my head's not in the mood for this tonight. Look, here's Marrow, why don't you show him? I'm sure he'd love to play, wouldn't you Marrow?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not?" Marrow wagged his tail and squeezed into the seat as Qrow thankfully hauled himself up. He ruffled Ruby's hair. "Have fun, and don't stay up _too_ late."

As he left the room, he heard Ruby's voice, "So Marrow, if you press A, B, and the left trigger you can choose which weapon to fight with and if you press..."

Qrow smiled as he walked away from the common room to head back to his quarters. Ruby was such a skilled fighter, and yet away from battle she slid easily into her carefree teenaged self. _We've all had to separate our lives into two compartments._ He reflected how his own non-Huntsman life had changed in the past few months. He'd had some problems becoming accustomed to the other Qrow who could now exist, who didn't have to spend most of every day wondering if he'd reach the end of it in one piece. _And all this without the help of a bottle_. Maybe Clover was right when he said Qrow should be proud of himself.

_Ah yes, Clover._ Qrow had told him that after spending time with his nieces, he would sleep in his own quarters tonight. _Trouble is, I don't want to. I want—_

He stopped walking, realising he'd actually taken the route which led to Clover's quarters. _Okay, I guess that decides it for me._ He slowly resumed, turning a corner, and bumped into Winter Schnee, almost knocking her over. "Sorry," he said in surprise. She seemed flustered, not her usual implacable self.

"Don't worry Branwen, I'm fine." She gave him a darkling look and strode off.

Perplexed, Qrow continued on slowly. _Didn't think she roomed over here, I wonder—_ Just then his scroll buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and saw a message from Clover.

_I know you weren't coming over tonight but could you call in on your way back to yours? C xxx_

Smiling yet intrigued, Qrow pushed the scroll back into his pocket. He was almost at Clover's quarters by this time, so within a minute he was letting himself in at the front door.

"That was quick, did you fly?" said Clover, coming from the living room.

"Nope, I was already nearly here when I got your message."

Clover raised his eyebrows and tried not to look too smug. "Just can't keep away, is that it?"

"I don't want to give you the satisfaction of being right yet again. Even though you are."

Clover moved closer and took Qrow's hands, kissing his fingers softly. He looked at Qrow. "Winter has been here."

Qrow's eyebrows lifted a little. "I wondered what she was doing over this way."

"You passed her outside? Did she say anything?"

"I'm sure the Ice Queen wouldn't be so unprofessional as to discuss anything with me, especially in public."

"No, fair point. But she discussed plenty with me, and it was more than a bit worrying." He led the way back to the sofa.

"It seems your suspicion that the General is up to something may be valid." Clover sat at one end of the sofa and tucked a leg beneath himself.

Qrow kicked off his boots and took a seat at the opposite end, stretching out his legs so they rested on Clover's lap. "Go on."

Clover relayed what he had learned from Winter. Qrow's face darkened as he listened. "That bastard Jimmy, what is he playing at?"

"We don't know. Winter is going to speak to Penny, to see if she can get into these files and find out what they contain."

Qrow folded his arms grumpily. "I was in such a good mood on the way over. Now I'm not. I was almost starting to feel like a normal person, who doesn't have bad stuff happening all around them—"

"Qrow, stop it!" Clover's voice was sharp, and Qrow looked at him in surprise. "This is nothing to do with you. I mean, you haven't caused it. It _is_ possible for shit to happen that isn't your fault, you know."

Qrow looked a little taken aback. "I've never heard you get angry before."

"Oh don't worry, I have my moments. Usually during room inspections," said Clover lightly. "I'm serious though, you don't have to take responsibility for everything."

"I guess not. It's a bad habit I've got into. Mostly thanks to all the stuff that has actually happened in my life." Qrow wasn't letting go easily.

"I know, and I'm not surprised. But it's time to move on a bit." Clover lifted Qrow's legs down and sidled along the sofa. "Have a hug," he offered.

Qrow nestled against his chest with a sigh. "Just when things were almost good, Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood has to balls it up."

"Well, hopefully we'll be better informed on what he might be up to, after Winter has seen Penny. In the meantime, would you like a cup of tea? And can I interest you in sharing some bodily warmth later?"

"Yes please, and absolutely," Qrow said. "Those are two of my favourite things."

❖

Clover rolled over in the bed, facing towards Qrow, who was lying with his back to the younger man. He could hear Qrow making a snuffling sound and smiled, wondering what he was dreaming about. His smile vanished as Qrow, stifling a sob, sat up in the bed.

"What's up, Qrow?"

Qrow's response was to draw his legs up, gathering the covers close as if for protection. His shoulders shook as he sobbed against his knees, head pressed into his forearms.

Clover shifted to sit behind him, wrapping his arms about the older man and holding him gently. Qrow became quieter and his breathing less ragged, as Clover stroked the back of his head with the lightest of touches. He felt Qrow relax against him, sniffing now as he rubbed his face.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"I'm glad I did. I don't want to think of you struggling with... whatever it is, in the dark by yourself."

"Legendary Huntsman Qrow Branwen. What a joke." Qrow's voice was bitter as he lifted his head and stared across the dark room.

"I've told you before—" Clover broke off. "Anyway, that's not the issue. Would you like a glass of water?"

"Yes, please. And do you have any of those dry crackers?"

"I think so. Mind your eyes." Clover switched on his bedside lamp and padded to the kitchen, returning with a glass and a packet of crackers. "You hungry?"

"Just the usual, empty stomach cramp feeling. Thanks." He munched on a cracker, washing it down with a gulp of water. Clover walked to the window and turned back to watch Qrow as he ate. This wasn't the first time Qrow had woken overnight with hunger cramps, but Clover had never seen him this distressed before.

Qrow placed his glass on the nightstand and started to hunt down the cracker crumbs which were strewn over the covers. Clover climbed onto the bed, reaching out a hand to ruffle his unruly black hair. "Messy eater." His voice was soft with concern as Qrow turned to look at him.

"They're your crackers," he protested with a small smile.

"My mess then. Let's just get rid of it." Clover held the edges of the cover and flapped it towards the open room, scattering the remaining crumbs onto the floor. Qrow stared at him.

"What has happened to you, Ebi? I've ruined you."

Clover drew him into a hug, murmuring against his ear, "It was overdue. I couldn't be expected to maintain perfection for ever."

Qrow snorted a laugh, turning his head to kiss Clover on the cheek. "D'you want to put the light out? I'd like a cuddle."

Darkness returned to the room and they wriggled under the covers. Qrow rested his head against Clover's chest, the steady beat of his heart a soothing lullaby.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The silence stretched between them. _Should I have just kept quiet? I don't want him to think I'm prying._ He was about to tell Qrow it didn't matter, when the other man began to speak.

"I was back at Beacon. Everything had gone to shit. Jimmy had... exacerbated the situation and we were utterly overwhelmed."

Clover had read the official report on the fall of Beacon, but Qrow had never talked about it before now. He continued, "In my dream we were completely overrun, but the reality was almost that bad anyway. So it wasn't like a dream, it was like I was there. Again." Clover felt him shiver, and held him a little tighter.

"When I got up to the tower, Oz's tower, Ruby was there. Except she wasn't. Just her... body." Qrow drew a deep breath and released it with a shudder. "And when I went to pick her up, her head fell to one side, and it was— Summer's face."

"Oh, Qrow." Clover hugged him closer, kissing the top of his head. "I'm so sorry." He knew little about Summer, other than she had been the leader of Qrow's team at Beacon many years ago. She had gone missing and was presumed dead.

"While I was drinking, I hardly ever dreamed. I was grateful for that. Now, though—"

"I won't say _It's only a dream_ because that's not helpful. But if you wake up from a dream like that again, promise me you'll wake me too. I don't want you to have to go through this alone."

"Thank you." Qrow kissed Clover's chest. "I will." He snuggled down a little further. "Is this uncomfortable for you?"

"No, Qrow, it's fine." Clover smiled into the darkness. "Sleep well now."

"I will. You too."

❖

Penny Polendina looked up at Winter. "So these are not your files?"

"No, I didn't create them. I would like to know what the contents are."

"Did you create them and perhaps forget that you had created them? And now you have forgotten the password and don't want to tell me?"

"No, Penny, it's not that. The files were created by— someone else, but I need to see what they contain."

"Can you ask the person who created them? They will surely help you."

Winter hesitated. She didn't really want to embroil Penny in any kind of conspiracy, not when she was unsure herself what was going on. But until they could view the files, she wouldn't be any wiser. "The person who I believe created the files would probably not tell me."

Penny's eyes widened. "So this is like... espionage?"

Winter stiffened as she stood beside Penny's chair. "I suppose you _could_ call it that. But what do you know about espionage?"

"I have been reading many different kinds of books, to better understand human behaviour. I was reading _From Mistral with Love_ which oddly enough is not a romance but a spy story. I am learning how devious and duplicitous humans can be."

"I see, well those are not necessarily desirable traits to aspire to. But sometimes we do have to be— careful."

"And you want me to be careful so the person who created these files does not know we are looking at them?"

"Exactly," Winter said, relieved she didn't have to explain further. "It's a kind of puzzle we have to solve."

Penny flexed her fingers and pulled her keyboard closer. "Puzzle is my middle name. Leave it to Puzzle-Breaker Penny. That is a good joke," she laughed.

Winter smiled. "Thank you, Penny. Please let me know as soon as you have any information."

"I will," said Penny, already busy at her terminal.

Winter went back to her office, walking not quite as briskly as usual. She wondered how many other people would have to become party to this secret before they uncovered the truth.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness come tonight  
> I have no fear of what you hold  
>  _The Black Halo - Kamelot_

❖

The following day there were no briefings or planned missions. Clover and Qrow hadn't bothered getting properly dressed, and Qrow was finishing his third piece of toast when Clover said, "Okay, we can't do anything about the mystery of the Ironwood files—"

"That sounds like the title of one of those books you read," Qrow butted in.

"You're right, and when this is all over and we're living happily ever after, maybe I'll write it. But in the meantime, we can do something productive."

Qrow wasn't sure he liked the sound of this. "Not _more_ cleaning? Surely there's nothing left to polish? You work me too hard," he grumbled.

"You can be a cantankerous old git, do you know that?" The fond look on Clover's face belied his words.

"Maybe, but I'm _your_ cantankerous old git."

"And I'd like to keep it that way. So this isn't about cleaning, but about guidelines." He looked at Qrow eagerly. "Remember what we said?"

"Oh yeah, that. Right then, guideline away." Qrow sat back with his arms folded, waiting for Clover to do something.

"Uh, it's supposed to be a joint endeavour."

"Oh, I thought you might draft it all out and I could just sign it or something."

Clover looked at him in exasperation. "Qrow, you should never commit yourself to anything without checking what you're putting your name to. You could end up signing your life away."

"Did that when I met you, didn't I?" Qrow grinned.

"Why is it when I try to be serious you always make a joke of it?" Clover felt irritated.

"Sorry, I thought I was being endearing."

"Oh, for Dust's sake." Clover jumped up and dragged Qrow to his feet. For a tiny moment Qrow thought he was about to attack him, and his body stiffened, ready to fight. When Clover caught hold of his shoulders, pulling him close and kissing him roughly, he instantly relaxed and returned the kiss, his hands reaching behind Clover and sliding under his t-shirt to scratch at his back.

Clover shuddered and pulled away. "Bed, now." Qrow had never known him to be so... insistent. His eyes met Clover's which, if Qrow had been feeling poetic, he would have described as _stormy_. Clover added, "If that's okay?" in a tone which suggested he wouldn't be too happy if the answer was no.

"It's okay." Qrow's voice was husky as he pulled Clover towards him, matching the other man's strength with his own. He kissed him, biting his lower lip just a little, then pushed him towards the bedroom, his urgency the equal of Clover's.

❖

Qrow collapsed onto Clover's chest, his breath ragged. After a few moments he pushed himself up, disentangled his legs and flopped down at Clover's side.

Clover shifted slightly, grunting as he did so. He turned to face Qrow. "Uh, that was—"

"Intense? Unexpected?"

"You could say that. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"Am I complaining? There were two people involved as I recall."

"Yeah, but... just for a moment it seemed like you thought I was going to hit you or something."

"I did."

Clover looked at him in alarm. "Qrow, I would never intentionally hurt you. I promised Yang—"

"What! When?"

"Oh, quite a while ago now. But I meant it... I mean it. I want to cherish you, not brawl with you. You are the most precious thing in my life."

"How does your ego feel now it's been pushed into second place?"

Clover rolled his eyes. "My ego is fine, it's just my body that's a bit bruised. And bitten." He poked his lip cautiously. "But that was... strange. I was a bit annoyed with you, and suddenly all that happened." He paused. "I'm not sure I'm happy about it."

Qrow turned towards him and angled one of his legs across Clover's. He rested an arm over his chest, saying, "No harm done though. Not really."

Clover put his arms around Qrow and gave him a slight hug. "No, but— we're both experienced fighters, if we wanted to we could hurt each other. And—"

"But we don't want to. Do we?"

"No of course not, you idiot; not deliberately. But if someone went too far... I don't know, it's got me worried now."

"Clover, I'm sorry I thought even for a second you were going to hurt me. That instinct... takes a while to shake it off I guess. I trust you, more than I sometimes trust myself."

Clover hugged him tighter. "Right then, this is one for the guidelines."

"Uh, how exactly?"

"Well, if one person is getting a bit... carried away, and the other person wants them to back off, they have to say something to make the other person stop."

Qrow wrinkled his forehead. "What, say something like _Please stop doing that?_ "

"No, it needs to be more particular, not any old phrase. Something you wouldn't ever use in that situation, except to mean _stop._ "

Qrow didn't see exactly why this was necessary, but he went along with it. "What kind of word then?"

Clover thought hard. Then he said, "Reggie."

Qrow squinted up at him. "Reggie? Like Reggie's Diner where we had that meal?"

"Yeah, it's not a word we'd ever use normally, and it's a word with a special meaning for us. Well, I hope it is anyway."

Qrow squeezed him. "Okay, Reggie it is. Though the idea of shouting _Reggie_ at you while we're in the middle of whatever is a bit weird."

"It is. And that's why it should work. Just don't forget Reggie."

"As if I could," Qrow murmured as he snuggled down. Clover kissed the top of his head.

"I need a shower, if I stay here I'll end up permanently stuck to you."

"Could be worse," said Qrow drowsily, as Clover peeled himself away and crawled from the bed, only groaning just a little.

❖

Winter was in her office, even though it was not strictly a workday. It was her preferred default location, where everything was organised exactly as she liked and she was in control. Being in control was very important to her, and her stiff demeanour and business-like attitude to her colleagues reflected this.

Her scrolled buzzed and she picked it up quickly, hoping there was some word from Penny at last. The consequences of her discovery, the idea that General Ironwood could be— a traitor? Her brain had difficulty even beginning to process the possibility.

There was a message. It was from Penny. Feeling her breathing quicken, Winter tapped to view it.

_The Atlesian Coffee Emporium. 14:00. This message will delete in 2 minutes._

Winter arched her brows. First Ebi and his nonsensical whimsy, and now Penny was behaving as if she had fallen from the pages of a spy thriller. With a sigh Winter watched her scroll, and in a minute or so, the message faded from the screen. _Hopefully this means some progress has been made_.

She set her scroll aside and turned to her terminal. There was plenty to occupy her for the next two hours, and she was not one to waste the opportunity to catch up on some admin.

❖

Winter sat at a table near the back of the Atlesian Coffee Emporium, facing towards the door. She perused the menu card carefully, whilst at the same time being acutely aware of the other customers in the establishment.

She wondered at herself, behaving in this cloak-and-dagger manner. She had allowed herself to be drawn into Penny's espionage scenario, and a small part of her was actually enjoying it. It would be interesting, she thought, to take on a completely new personality, to become a different character. There would be no expectations on her, no-one assuming she would behave in a certain way.

She was jolted from her reverie by someone sliding into the seat opposite her. The newcomer removed their dark glasses and looked at her closely. "Do the geese fly south this winter?" asked Penny.

"I— what?"

"Do the—"

"I heard what you said, but I don't know why you said it. Whatever do you mean?"

"I have been analysing the behaviour of spies and secret agents. There is always a passcode given and it invariably involves geese. You have to give the correct response."

Winter felt the situation was getting away from her. "We're not here to talk about geese," she whispered. "I don't know what you're— anyway, I don't have a response. I just want to know if you've found out what is in the—"

Penny stopped her with a raised hand. "No details. You never know who might be listening. This table could be bugged." There was a hopeful note in her voice.

"Penny, this isn't a game. Something very serious could be happening, and I need all the information you can give me."

Penny looked at Winter, frowning slightly. "I am very sorry, I think I have got too much into my character. I will tell you all I know."

"Good. Well, what do you have?"

"I haven't yet been able to view the contents of the files. The encryption used is very sophisticated and will take more time to analyse and decode. However, I have learned a little about them," Penny continued, as Winter's face fell. "I know with a good degree of certainty where the files originated from."

"Yes?"

"It is _possible_ this information has been manipulated, but I doubt it. Based on my investigations, all the files we are looking at were created by someone logged in at a particular terminal. The same terminal in each case. The terminal in General Ironwood's office," she finished, her voice low.

"But does that prove it was actually _him?_ Isn't is possible whoever it was just used his terminal?"

"That is a possibility. However the timestamps on the files show they were created or modified on different dates, over a wide period of time. What is the likelihood someone could gain access to the General's terminal on several different occasions, without ever being apprehended?"

"Not very likely at all, I imagine. Do you know the earliest date these files were created?"

"Yes, it was four months ago. I have collated all the information I have so far and I can let you have it whenever you want."

"Thank you, Penny. This is a good start but we do need to know what these files contain, so if you can keep working on them I would be very grateful. And it goes without saying, this information is strictly between you and I at the moment."

"Of course. Now I suggest we leave separately, to arouse less suspicion." With that, Penny donned her dark glasses again, and left.

Winter suddenly realised they hadn't actually ordered any coffee. She found she had no appetite, so after a few minutes she left too, to make her thoughtful way back to the barracks.

❖

"So, do you want to go first?" Clover sat at his desk with a piece of paper and a pencil. So far the paper had one word written on it:

_**Reggie**_

Qrow heaved a sigh and pondered. "How about, _'Clover will always leave his bedroom window slightly open'_?"

"And that would be for what reason?"

"So if I need to— get away for a bit, I can just do it without fuss."

"Ah right, I get you." He wrote on the paper _ **Clover will...**_ and added the line underneath. Farther down the page he also wrote _**Qrow will...** _He sucked the end of the pencil thoughtfully and wrote _**be sure to close the lid after using the toilet**._

"Really bugs you, doesn't it," said Qrow as he looked over Clover's shoulder.

"I'm going for the low-hanging fruit." He considered, then added another line.

_**not deflect praise or put himself down**_

"Okay," said Qrow, "under _'Clover will'_ put down _'not use the phrase_ I've read the file _as if that means he knows everything about a person when it's obvious some people are far more complex than what can be written in a damned military file'_."

"Er, that's a bit long. Also very specific. I get the feeling you have a particular person in mind?" He looked up at Qrow with a small smirk.

"Alright, just shorten it. My point stands."

"Fair enough." Clover added the line and then wrote in _**not respond to every serious comment with a flippant answer**_.

"You going off my efforts to be more light-hearted then? You need more Qrow Branwen trademarked misery in your life?"

"No, not at all. But sometimes when I'm trying to be serious about something, and you just make some fatuous comment, it can annoy me a bit."

"I'd noticed." It was Qrow's turn to smirk.

"Well, that's why it needs to go on the list. I'll do my best not to get aggravated with you, and you do your best not to be facetious _all_ the time. Does that seem fair?"

"Yes, it does. Sorry for being such a pain in the butt. See, now even _that_ sounds like I'm being sarcastic, and I'm really not. Ugh, now you've got me second-guessing everything I say."

"Hmm, well it's true this kind of thing can do that. But like I said before, they're not rules, they're guidelines. No-one's going to throw you in a cell for slipping up sometimes."

"Good job too," said Qrow morosely. "I'd be spending most of my life in one otherwise."

Clover stood up and turned to him. "That's enough of this for now, why don't we go and get some fresh air?"

"Good idea. I still haven't got you back for that snow down my neck—"

"You like to harbour grudges, don't you?"

"It's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes." Qrow grinned at him, as they pulled on some clothes before heading out.

"What if," Clover began as they walked, "the owner of the diner where we had that meal was murdered. Would it be... _Reggie-cide_?" He tried not to laugh too hard at the sight of Qrow's horrified face.

"You've definitely spent too long in Yang's company," Qrow said in a disgusted tone.

"Well why not? She's such _pun_ to be with." Clover gave in and laughed even more as Qrow gave him a murderous look.

"I am _so_ getting even with you, Ebi."

By this time they had reached the outer doors and Clover took off, running just fast enough to keep ahead of Qrow.

Winter rounded the corner of the accommodation block as she returned from her non-coffee with Penny. She saw the two men ahead, and was about to signal to Clover to let him know she had news. Then, as Qrow caught up with Clover and the two men embraced, she sighed and dropped her hand. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way into the building.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bring me out of this cage I'm in  
> Melt me in your sweltering embrace  
>  _Walls - Airspoken_

❖

Clover's scroll buzzed, vibrating against the nightstand and rousing him from sleep. He reached out and grabbed at it, cursing as his hand knocked it onto the floor. Looking over anxiously in case he had disturbed Qrow, he remembered Qrow had returned to his own quarters after their walk yesterday. Part of him wished Qrow would move in, and spend every night there, but he knew this arrangement was for the best; at least for now.

He scrabbled on the floor and found his scroll, and squinting at the screen he saw there was a message from Winter. _Why so early?_ He groaned inwardly, before chastising himself. _The Ironwood Mystery_ —as they'd taken to calling it—was more important than an extra hour's sleep after all.

 _I'll be in the mess hall at 7:00_.

 _I suppose she wants me to meet her there, and isn't just updating me on her movements for the hell of it_. Clover glanced at his alarm. 5:50. _Ugh, hardly worth going back to sleep now._ He pondered on what he could do with a spare half-hour if Qrow had been here, and decided thinking this was not a very productive use of his time. _I wonder if he's awake..._

_Don't be daft, at this hour? Don't even think about it..._

Clover was annoyed with himself for even entertaining the idea he could call Qrow and just— what exactly? Have sex over the phone? _It's a thing people do_ , he tried to justify to himself. _But I know he wouldn't appreciate it. Oh gods, now look what's happened._

He rolled over on to his front in the hope this might stop his erection before it even realised what was happening. It wasn't especially successful.

With a sigh, he sat up and grabbed his scroll to reply to Winter's message. Then he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. _If I think about something really sad or gross maybe that will take my mind off Qrow..._

Unfortunately for Clover he couldn't think of anything sad enough or gross enough. As he stood under the shower, the water not too hot but still not cold enough, he began to soap his body, groaning with the futility of trying to avoid the inevitable. He leaned one forearm against the wall, water coursing across his shoulders and down his back, thinking of Qrow and wishing it could be the other man's hand now moving across his body, instead of his own.

❖

Feeling more relaxed, but still a little embarrassed within himself, Clover joined Winter in the mess hall. The busy period had yet to start, so they were sitting at a table in a quiet corner. Winter sipped a green smoothie and Clover had muesli, listening to what she had to say with a frown on his face.

"I suppose it's no more than we expected," he said. "Still comes as a huge shock though. It's difficult to believe it of the General, after all the time I've known him..."

Winter shushed him quietly. "No names, please. This is something we have to take great care with. We still need to know what is in the files."

"Agreed. But the fact is, something is going on and we have to be prepared to take action if it comes to it."

Winter looked alarmed. "What do you mean, arrest him? Like a coup?" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"Not sure what I mean," Clover replied. "But we can't let him— our duty is to the people of Atlas and Mantle ultimately."

Winter looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You've changed, Ebi."

"Hmm, maybe I'm seeing things a bit differently now. As are you I suspect."

"Yes, it's true, although it saddens me to admit it." She shook herself slightly. "Well, that's all there is for now. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we have more to go on."

She dabbed her lips with a napkin and stood up. "Have a good day, Ebi."

She walked quickly from the hall as Clover looked after her, still frowning. He took a while to finish his breakfast before slowly heading to the briefing room.

❖

"Right then. Everyone clear on what they're doing today?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, then Ruby said, "If Uncle Qrow, sorry I mean 'Huntsman Branwen' is taking us for training first then how will that work, as he isn't actually here?"

Clover was about to reply when he was interrupted by Qrow, who walked into the room looking distinctly bleary eyed. "But I am here, so no problem kiddo. Just a minor alarm malfunction."

"Yeah, he slept through it, _again_." Yang's comment wasn't quiet enough, and there were a few sniggers.

Clover shot a look at Qrow. "Okay, sessions start in half an hour, so make sure you're all where you need to be by then."

The room emptied until only Clover and Qrow remained. Qrow had slumped into a seat at the back of the room. Clover approached him slowly. "You've not been late for a briefing for ages, everything okay?"

"Everything was fine, until I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. Well, I did eventually and then yes, I slept through the alarm, I admit it." He looked embarrassed. "It's different when you're a horny teenager, goes with the territory. I thought I'd grown out of all that."

Clover was lost. "What—"

"I woke up with the mother of all hard-ons. No, not mother, that sounds totally wrong. Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep, and it was uncomfortable lying there, so I thought _I know, I'll take a shower_ , so I did."

Clover looked at him. "What time was this?"

"Uh, about 6 I think? Yeah, just before 6 I woke up."

"Qrow, that's very... weird. I woke at 10 to 6 when my scroll buzzed, and it was too late to go back to sleep, and I was thinking of you, and well, the same thing happened to me. I had a shower, and while I was in there..." Clover blushed furiously at the memory. "I wanted it to be you, but you weren't there, so it was a DIY effort."

Qrow looked up at him in amazement. "You mean, we had a synchronised wank without even realising it? That's brilliant!"

Clover looked over his shoulder towards the door in anguish. "Not so loud, Qrow!"

Qrow stood up. "Which hand do you use?" he enquired politely.

"Oh, for Dust's sake," Clover sputtered.

Qrow moved as close to Clover as he could without quite touching. "It wasn't anywhere near as good as the real thing, but... being able to think of you at the same time, made it not at all bad." Qrow's voice was very soft in the still room.

Clover edged forwards so his hips were brushing against the other man. "You are so annoyingly gorgeous, d'you know that?"

Qrow's eyes locked with Clover's as he pressed a fraction harder. "So you keep telling me."

After what seemed an eternity, Clover mentally slapped himself in the face and stepped backwards. Qrow's breath was loud in the room, and he felt almost giddy.

"Qrow, let's save this for later for gods' sake. I can hardly breathe."

"Yeah, I think that would be wise. More than wise."

"Right then." Clover took a few deep breaths and tried to get his soldier brain going. "We're doing patrols and training, half and half. I've mixed the teams up, so you're training this morning, and down in Mantle after lunch. I'm doing the opposite."

"Gotcha. And later?"

Clover smiled. "I could cook something? Or we could go out to eat?"

"I like it when you cook, but you deserve a break. How about we eat out, not too late, and then back to yours for... a nightcap or something?"

"Sounds perfect. But now we have work to do."

"Yes sir Specialist Ebi sir!"

"Don't push it, Branwen." Clover shoved him towards the door. "You'll be paying the price for it later."

❖

Clover reached across the table and took Qrow's hand. "This okay?"

Qrow looked about the small dimly-lit restaurant. The contrast with Reggie's Diner could not have been greater. "I'm not missing the food fight, that's for sure."

There was a low hum of conversation from the other diners. The restaurant served a variety of cuisines, including several spicy dishes from Mistral which Qrow especially liked. He looked back at Clover and squeezed his hand. "This is just right."

"Do you want dessert?"

"Seems a shame not to, as we're here. I saw they had cheesecake on the menu..."

"Oh well, that settles it." Clover glanced around and caught the server's eye. "Two cheesecakes, please."

Qrow looked out of the window into the deepening night. There was no snow falling, but the moon was clouded over and the chance of snowfall later was fairly high. He sighed deeply.

"Problem?"

"Not at all," Qrow replied. "Just feeling... contented. It's an odd sensation."

"You deserve some contentment. And some cheesecake," said Clover as their desserts arrived.

❖

They walked back through the chill air, not feeling the cold. It occurred to Qrow he had never paid Clover back for the snow down his neck all those weeks ago. As they crossed a small square with a fountain in the middle, barely managing a trickle of water through the frozen spout, he said, "I bet you can't walk round that fountain with your eyes closed."

"What? Why would I even want to?"

"Because I've bet you that you can't, and your huge ego and lucky semblance will be enough to convince you to do it," said Qrow confidently.

"Right, you're on. And when I've done it, you have to do it as well. Or at least _try._ "

He jumped up on the low parapet and, closing his eyes, raised his arms and began walking round.

"Don't go too fast, you're bound to fall," called Qrow.

"Nah, I'm good. You just enjoy the sight of an expert at work."

As Clover returned to his starting position, Qrow pushed him into the fountain. He fell onto the thin ice and broke it, landing on his butt with a curse.

"Oh dear, that's a shame. Let me help you out." Qrow offered his hand to Clover, who looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Thanks." He took Qrow's hand... and pulled him into the fountain.

"Oh dear, that's a shame." He looked at Qrow who was spluttering beside him.

"Ebi, you complete and utter—"

"Now now, don't say anything you might regret later. I think perhaps we'll call that a draw, don't you?" And he splashed Qrow, just a little.

"Right." Qrow wasn't taking this lying down.

A full-on splashing fight commenced, only halted when a resident came out from their house, threatening to call the police if they didn't quieten down.

Clover apologised profusely, retreating as he did so. Taking Qrow's hand, they ran back to the barracks as fast as they could.

❖

Clover finally got his shower with Qrow when they got to his quarters. Peeling off the wet clothes, shivering in spite of their auras, they managed to squeeze into the cubicle together and set the water to hot.

"Actually this isn't quite how I thought it would be," Clover said. "There's always more room when they do this on TV."

"Well, let's just warm up a bit and then get dry, there's plenty of room in bed."

Clover smoothed Qrow's hair away from his forehead. "You have such good ideas." He kissed him gently, becoming more forceful, until Qrow took his hands and moved away.

"Let's go to bed."

❖

Afterwards, Clover shifted away from Qrow and lay on his back. He heaved a sigh, gazing at nothing, his brow slightly wrinkled.

"Uh, was that not good?" Qrow asked, squinting at him and at the same time trying to tame the covers.

"No, I mean yes, it was— very nice," said Clover quickly, turning on his side to face Qrow.

" _Very nice_ sounds a bit mediocre."

Clover pulled Qrow towards him and kissed his nose. "Sometimes, _very nice_ is exactly what's needed. I don't need any more—". He broke off.

Qrow looked at him. "Is this the moment you tell me all the details of your sordid past? In that case let me put the kettle on." Qrow headed to the kitchen, returning in a few minutes with two mugs of tea. "I didn't actually check, did you want one?" He placed a mug on the nightstand.

"Thanks, that's fine," said Clover a little distractedly. He sat up against the pillow, hugging his knees as Qrow slid into the bed beside him.

"So... what's up?"

"I've only had one serious relationship before. Plenty of casual ones, some that might have gone somewhere... others that wouldn't even qualify for the description _relationship_." He paused, as if remembering details which had lain undisturbed for a long time. "There was one, though. I really thought he was the one, you know? We had similar interests... he wasn't military, but he could easily have been. A few years younger than me..." There was a small smile on Clover's face, but his eyes were troubled.

"You don't have to tell me, if it's— upsetting."

"No, it was so long ago, it's almost like it happened to someone else. But, I thought this was it, we were together forever. He was so... perfect. A beautiful body, so gorgeous I couldn't believe my luck."

"You're not doing anything for my self-confidence here," grumbled Qrow.

Clover quickly squeezed his hand. "Oh no, don't worry, he couldn't hold a candle to you. You're _so_ much more than just a gorgeous body." Qrow smiled smugly.

"And the sex... was tremendous. I mean there'd never been anything like it before. And I was— swept away by him. He was my world." Clover paused and chuckled mirthlessly. "It sounds a bit pretentious when I put it like that."

"Why change the habit of a lifetime?" Qrow smirked mischievously.

"And that is _exactly_ the point I'm trying to make. You're so... but anyway, I thought it was perfection, that it was everything I could possibly want. But over time, I guess it started to get a bit... monotonous? Like the sex was still amazing—"

"I get it. The sex was out of this world. Your point has been made."

"No Qrow, you don't get it. No matter how great that side of it was, everything else started to collapse somehow. And then—" Clover lapsed into silence.

"What happened?" Qrow asked quietly.

"He— I interrupted him one day. With someone else. In our bed."

Qrow took Clover's hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry."

"There was a blazing row, he grabbed some of his stuff, and that was that. I never saw him again." A slight pause. "I was heartbroken. It felt like I'd lost everything that meant anything to me. Took me a while to get my head straight, and my work really helped. It was something I could do that wouldn't go wrong, that was always there..."

Clover continued after a moment, "And yet, it wouldn't have lasted, I knew that really. I realise now, even though the physical side of it was— technically perfect, that wouldn't have been enough in the long run. But still, at the time—"

Qrow squeezed Clover's hand, dropping a kiss on his shoulder.

Clover shuffled down the bed a little, allowing Qrow to put his arm about the younger man's shoulders. "There was a point to me telling you this, but I've lost my way a bit."

"Well, you've managed to destroy any confidence I may have been developing in my abilities in bed, was that it?"

"See, you've done it again!" Clover managed to laugh. "You're just so... unexpected. We're opposites in many ways, but that's fine, because you keep me on my toes and make me laugh. What we do in bed—or wherever—is so much better than anything I've ever had before, because it's with you." He stopped suddenly, blushing. "So that's that."

Qrow shifted away from him and turned to look closely into his face. His red eyes were suspiciously bright, and his mouth trembled a little as he said, "I love you, Ebi."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I never thought that you would be  
> The one to hold my heart  
> But you came around and you knocked me  
> Off the ground from the start  
>  _Arms - Christina Perri_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I previously posted a section of this chapter, with some modifications, as _7-6 _for Fair Game Week 2020. I debated whether to leave it in here, but it is referenced a few times later in this story, so here it remains 🙂__

❖

Clover was having trouble making sense of the world.

General Ironwood seemed to be up to something traitorous, and at some point would have to be called out on it. Grimm attacks of frightening intensity were becoming more commonplace, and they were working pretty much round-the-clock to try and contain them.

And he was happier than he had ever been in his life.

After Qrow's disclosure, almost a week ago now, that he loved Clover— _he loves me!_ —just as Clover loved him, the world was a different place. For sure there was a major problem looming, and they were all working their butts off, but alongside everything there was Qrow. A man Clover had initially arrested, then tolerated, then very quickly developed a regard for.

Exactly when that regard had become something more, Clover couldn't determine, although he had spent more time than was strictly necessary trying. It puzzled him that a man of his age could feel this way. This was different to anything he'd previously experienced, and he hoped it would persist, not fade from his heart as had happened before. He was confident that wouldn't be the case, but he touched his cloverleaf pin anyway. Just for luck.

Clover sighed and turned his attention back to the screen. His work, which had been the most important thing in his life, had definitely lost some of its allure. However, with all that was going on, now wasn't the time to lose focus. Except...

He heard the door to his quarters opening, and that meant only one thing.

"So look what I got for you!" Qrow wasn't big on present-buying so he was rather pleased with himself.

Clover looked up from his terminal at the object Qrow was holding proudly towards him. "Whipped cream?"

"Well, whipped is the word on the can— it's squirty cream really but maybe that didn't look so good."

"I wonder why?" Clover sniggered.

"You can be so _juvenile_ at times," said Qrow in a superior voice. "I thought you'd like it to put on your hot chocolate, as a treat."

"I would, thank you." Clover stood and took the can of cream, kissing Qrow as he did so. "Where did you get it?"

"Well, it was Ruby really. She wangled it from her contact in the kitchens."

"Her contact? Since when—"

"Since she discovered making friends with the kitchen staff gets her free biscuits."

"Very resourceful, your nieces."

"Yeah, when you've had to fend for yourself in the wild—" Qrow broke off, watching Clover who was shaking the can of cream vigorously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sure I've told you before not to play the _fending for ourselves in the wilderness_ card, Qrow."

"I'm allowed one slip-up, surely?"

"Maybe, and you made it ages ago. Now then," Clover looked at Qrow thoughtfully as he removed the cap from the can.

"No. No, Clover. No. No. It's for your hot chocolate—" Qrow tried to wriggle away, but Clover had one strong arm around him, the other hand raising the can of cream. "I'm sure it says on the can you mustn't squirt it at people, it's dangerous."

"Just a little squirt. Stop struggling and you'll be fine."

Qrow knew when to give in. Clover squirted a small amount of the cream onto his face. He tried not to breathe any up his nose. "This is _not_ a good idea. I could die," Qrow complained.

"Keep still." Clover dropped the can and slid his other arm around Qrow's waist. He bent his head and licked a little of the cream from the side of Qrow's mouth. "Mmm, you taste even better than usual."

"Hmph, two can play at this game." Qrow rubbed his face against Clover's, smearing the cream as he did so. He proceeded to lick it slowly, until it had nearly all gone.

Clover wiped Qrow's face with one finger, licking it clean as he went, all the while looking into Qrow's eyes steadily. "You licked my cream."

"I don't imagine it has this as a suggested use on the can," said Qrow. "But... it's nice."

"Oh, suddenly you're not worried about dying by cream inhalation?"

"No, suddenly I'm wondering where else I could lick it from."

Clover looked at him, then bent down and retrieved the can. "This could get a bit messy; we don't want to get this stuff in the carpet."

"Luckily bed sheets are washable," Qrow pointed out.

"Get you, Mr Domesticity. Hold on, I missed a bit." He leaned forward and licked the side of Qrow's face, his tongue brushing one ear before returning to nip at Qrow's bottom lip.

Qrow snatched the can of cream and pointed it at Clover. "Get into the bedroom, or I will squirt this all over your clean carpet."

Clover looked horrified. "You don't need to resort to that, you animal. Look, I'm going."

"That's right, keep walking. I've got you covered. Or I will have in a minute," he amended, nudging Clover in the back. Qrow managed to maintain the act for another ten seconds, before pushing Clover onto the bed and falling beside him. "I'd make a terrible cop."

"Lucky for me, you make a wonderful boyfriend," replied Clover. He started to unbutton Qrow's shirt. "Now, let's get rid of these clothes. I want to see how many different parts of your body I can decorate."

❖

"I made that twelve, I think," said Clover afterwards, rubbing his face which was still sticky.

"I can't believe you kept count."

"That's my personal best now. Maybe I'll improve on it next time."

"I'm not too sure how I can explain to Ruby that the can has been used up already."

"Tell her we made lots of hot chocolate?" Clover didn't approve of lying, but sometimes you had to bend the rules.

"Yeah, _she'd_ believe it. I just have to make sure Yang's not around at the time. Not much gets past her," said Qrow ruefully.

"They're so unalike, except in one respect. They both love you." Clover's voice was soft.

"Their mothers were... very different." The tone of Qrow's voice told Clover this was something he didn't feel like expanding on at the moment.

"Well, their uncle has been a good influence on them. Unfortunately, he's been a very bad influence on me."

"I did warn you, Clover. Bad luck all the way with me."

"I didn't mean that. More like I've never felt the urge to lick squirty cream off of someone's body, until I met you."

"Lucky for you. If you'd made a habit of it you'd never get into that uniform of yours. I reckon it's looking a bit tight these days as it is."

"What? Are you saying I'm putting on weight? Cheeky bastard." Clover pinched Qrow's butt.

"Ow! Be careful, I break easily." Qrow had had enough and decided it was time to sleep. "And I'm tired, can we cwtch for a bit?"

"Qrow, it's only about 8 o'clock. I kind of had some work to do, before you lured me with cream."

"That's right, blame me as always." Qrow's voice was sleepy as he snuggled back against Clover. "Just for a bit..." He reached and found Clover's arm, drawing it across his body.

Clover marvelled anew at how his life had changed now he shared it with Qrow. Less organised, more untidy, _definitely_ more sticky...

_Sticky is good_ , he thought drowsily, getting more comfortable against Qrow's back, as the older man began to snore gently. _I can live with sticky._

❖

It had been a standard day of routine patrols with the odd Grimm incursion to deal with. There was still no more news about _The Ironwood Mystery_ , and after a late-ish finish and a takeaway, it seemed there might be time to relax. After they'd eaten and the kitchen was tidied to Clover's satisfaction, Qrow stretched out on the sofa. Clover came out of the kitchen, patting his hands on his trousers to finish drying them.

"So what do you fancy doing this evening? I think there's a film showing in the common room, or we could play pool? Plus I've only got a few chapters of my book to finish," he added hopefully.

Qrow looked up from his scroll. "I challenge you to a game of Virtual Pong."

"Virtual what now? You know I'm not big on video games."

"This is like a retro thing; it's for two players and it's really easy. Even you could pick it up quite quickly," said Qrow kindly. _Or was that patronising? I can't always tell the difference._

"That's decent of you to say so. Why don't you explain to me how it works?" There was a challenge in Clover's voice which went unnoticed by Qrow.

Clover got his scroll and Qrow sent him the game. "Okay, I'll start a game and you can join." A few taps on the screen later and a glowing blue orb appeared on the wall opposite. "Right, it works best played against a flat wall. You just use the buttons on the sides of the display, one moves the paddle up and down—"

"Paddle?" Clover really didn't know much about video games.

"Yes look, there's yours on the wall, it's green, see? Mine's red."

"That figures." Clover moved his green paddle up and down, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Okay, so you need to deflect the ball, that blue glowy thing, back to me. If I get past your paddle I get a point, and vice versa. You can just do a passive deflect, or if you use the button on the other side of the scroll, you can put spin and extra speed onto it."

Clover had got a bit lost after _blue glowy thing,_ but wasn't going to admit it. "Let's have a practice game first, so I can get my eye in."

Qrow started the game, and immediately scored a point while Clover was trying to slide his paddle down from the ceiling. Very soon it was 5-0 to Qrow, who was trying to be encouraging, whilst at the same time trying not to sound like he was talking to a two year old.

"Stupid game," muttered Clover. Qrow smirked to himself and Clover managed to score a point. "I scored! I scored!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Right, game on."

The practice game finished 11-7 to Qrow, but Clover was not too despondent. "Let's play for real now. And I think we should make it more interesting." His confidence was running high.

"How exactly?"

"You can set the winning target right?" Qrow nodded. "Then set it lower, to 7 I reckon. We'll play a series of games, and whoever wins each one gets to remove an item of clothing. From the other player."

Qrow's eyes widened and he smiled wickedly. "Okay, you are going to be butt naked in no time at all."

Clover smiled placidly. "We'll see, shall we?"

Qrow won the first two games so Clover was barefoot pretty quickly. The argument about whether each sock was a separate item got rather heated, but Clover pointed out the same would apply to Qrow, so it didn't really matter. Qrow secretly thought he'd still be fully clothed by the time they'd finished, but tactfully didn't say this.

Clover then won three games in a row. Qrow's socks joined Clover's and, "t-shirt now," Clover decided. He drew it up slowly, making sure his hands brushed against Qrow's chest as he did so.

"Are you trying to distract me? It won't work," said Qrow, trying to ignore the hot feeling in his lower abdomen.

"I don't need to resort to underhand tricks like that."

Qrow gave him a look. "Right, this is serious now."

The next match was close and Qrow just won. "Hmm, belt I think," he said, unbuckling it and pulling it very slowly through the loops, standing as close to Clover as he could. Removing it with a final flourish, he tossed it onto the floor. He could hear Clover breathing hard and grinned to himself. "Ready for the next one?"

Clover made an unintelligible noise and turned round. "I will _have_ you, Branwen," he said, his voice suddenly husky. Qrow felt himself shiver, but merely smiled sweetly and picked up his scroll.

Qrow won the following game easily, and began to slowly remove Clover's t-shirt. He kept his hands away from the other man's skin, and was gratified to hear Clover almost whimper as the t-shirt came off and was dropped to the floor. "This is fun, isn't it?" Qrow was enjoying himself.

The next game was hard fought and the score reached 6-6. After a long rally, Qrow managed to sneak the ball past Clover to take the game. "7-6, I win." He put his scroll down and slowly turned towards him. "There's not a lot to choose from now," he observed, starting to unbutton Clover's trousers. Clover had never known five buttons take so long to unfasten. "This is proving difficult, there seems to be some kind of obstruction," Qrow remarked.

By this time Clover could take no more. He pushed Qrow into the bedroom and onto the bed, dragging off his remaining clothes as he did so.

"Hey!" Qrow protested, "It's meant to be my turn!"

Clover shed his own trousers and boxers as quickly as he could. "There, saved you the trouble." In a moment he was on top of Qrow, pushing him into the bed. "No more games." His breath was uneven as he looked into Qrow's eyes.

"Slow down, soldier-boy." Qrow shifted slightly, manoeuvring himself so that with one deft leg movement he rolled Clover onto his back.

"Where did you learn that move? You're cheating."

"Oh Ebi, there's _so_ much about me you've yet to find out." He kissed Clover hard on the mouth. "Now, turn over."

❖

Afterwards Clover wasn't quite sure how it had all happened. Now he was lying with his back against Qrow's chest, the older man's leg draped across his own. "Qrow, that was— extremely nice. If a little unexpected."

"Mmm... I have to agree."

Clover pressed his hips back against Qrow with a satisfied murmur. He felt himself drifting off, but he wanted Qrow to know. "Being a buff kind of guy, people can assume you... do things a certain way. It's nice to be on the other side for a change. Just every now and then, when I'm not expecting it..."

"Copy that." Qrow grinned to himself. _Always good to keep him guessing_. He snuggled against Clover's back, breathing in the warm, musky scent of him. _I'm so lucky to have this._ Qrow opened his eyes—which had been slowly closing—with that thought. _Lucky? That's something I would never have thought possible._ Then he frowned. _Do I love him? Or just love the way I feel when I'm with him?_ Qrow had never had to ask these questions of himself before. _So, if I could keep the way I feel, but without Clover being around..._ That was something he didn't want to contemplate. _Definitely wouldn't be enough. I need him as well._ He heaved a sigh, cwtching closer as he allowed himself to drift, a small smile still on his face.

❖

The next day Clover and Qrow were walking though the Atlesian streets, although they weren't exactly taking in the sights. Out here you could be confident you wouldn't be overheard.

"So no further word on these files yet?" Qrow wondered why it was taking so long to break into them.

"Nothing more than what Penny told Winter initially. Apparently she's having to be very circumspect with her work on them, so as not to arouse suspicion. That means it's very slow."

"And how are things with Jimmy? Has he completely lost the plot yet?"

"He seems... almost his normal self. Maybe a little bit jittery? But probably nothing I'd notice if I wasn't watching him so closely."

Qrow scratched his head. "Still can't see any real pattern to all this. I mean, everything's shit and all, but it just seems like a... magnification of what was already happening. Nothing specific to go on."

"I know what you mean." Clover stopped speaking as they negotiated the crossing of a busy junction. "All this wait-and-seeing is starting to get to me a bit. I'd like to know what we're facing so I can think about how to combat it."

Qrow squeezed his hand. "You will, when the time comes." He affected a high-pitched voice. " _We're all depending on you, Specialist Ebi._ "

"You're no damsel in distress, you idiot." He punched Qrow lightly on the arm.

"If I was though, you'd come and save me, right? You wouldn't leave me tied to the tree, so the dastardly villain could have his wicked way with me?"

Clover considered. "Well, I'd certainly take out the dastardly villain first. What happens next, that would depend."

"On what exactly?" Qrow was a bit perturbed.

"Maybe _I'd_ want to have _my_ wicked way with you, had you considered that possibility?"

"Well, no, I hadn't. I rather thought you'd be the perfect gentleman, and cut me loose before carrying me off on your white horse. I _think_ we then get married, and live in a cottage? Or maybe a castle, because it turns out you were a prince all along."

"You're very good at this storytelling lark."

"Years of practice with Yang and Ruby. Yang always wanted dragons and fighting, and Ruby would always sidetrack me with questions about their shoes and stuff."

"Shoes?"

"Well, she liked the details, you know? So I had to dredge up all sorts from my imagination."

Clover put his arm around Qrow's shoulders. "You'll make a good father one day." He then realised the implication of what he'd said, and blushed rosily.

"Clover?" Qrow's voice was serious. "I know it's very early days, but... if we stay together and don't die or anything, well you know not before our time, would— would you want a family?"

Clover stopped walking and took Qrow's hands. He looked down at them, then met Qrow's questioning gaze. "I would, but I think it would depend on the state of things. Whether Remnant would be a safe place to start a family. Whether we'd be able to give them a secure home, or whether we'd be off fighting all the time." He paused. "What do you think about it?"

"Pretty much what you said, really. I don't actually know how two guys go about having a kid to be fair."

"Well, Daddy and Daddy have a very special cuddle—"

"Yeah, very funny. I have a feeling that never mind how special it was, we'd still be missing something."

"There's ways and means. This is Atlas, after all. All this tech has to be good for something other than blowing stuff up."

They started walking again, slower now. Qrow's hands were in his pockets and Clover slid his hand into the nearest one, linking his fingers through Qrow's.

"You know," Qrow said, "Ruby was right in what she said the other day."

"She's prescient."

"Okay, if you say so, sunbeam. Which means what exactly?"

"She's sharp, perceptive. I mean she rattles on and if you're not paying attention then you miss it. But often it's there."

"Yeah, like I said. She said you'd changed since we arrived here, and you have. I can't imagine the Specialist Ebi who met us off the airship would have made that comment about Atlas."

"No, you're right. Winter made a similar comment the other day. It's you, Qrow. You've made me— no, not _made_ me, _caused_ me to see things differently. To question things I'd always taken for granted."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Gods yes! Can you even doubt it? That person I was before, he could never have fallen in love with you. So I'm thankful every day that I've changed, because it means I'm now the person who loves you, and who is loved by you. And that's fine by me."

He took Qrow's hand out of his pocket and kissed it. They stopped walking and Qrow turned towards Clover. "We're very lucky, both of us."

"Yes, we are." Clover kissed Qrow firmly on the mouth. "Your nose is cold. Shall we go back?"

❖

Qrow snapped into wakefulness. He felt the familiar tightening in his muscles and grabbed at his leg. These night cramps had always been a nuisance, but now he was sharing a bed he couldn't indulge in his usual awkward writhing as he tried to rub the taut tendons and stretch out his foot. _Gods dammit_ , he muttered under his breath, as the other foot joined its partner in toe-curling agony. Qrow half-fell out of bed and began pacing the floor, trying to stretch his legs and feet, and occasionally stubbing his toes for good measure.

Clover sat up suddenly, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?" he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"It's okay," Qrow assured him, "just a touch of cramp in my legs. Ow!" he grunted, almost falling back onto the bed as a particularly vicious twinge assailed him. He grabbed his black robe, shrugged it on and fastened it round his waist, angrily stomping up and down and muttering under his breath.

Clover switched on the bedside lamp and turned to him. "Do you want me to rub them?" he asked, a little concerned Qrow might actually hurt himself by walking into a wall or something.

"Uh, if you wouldn't mind."

"No problem!" said Clover brightly, "Come and lie down." Once again Qrow wondered how Clover could go from deep sleep to chirpy wakefulness in about thirty seconds. It always took him at least half an hour, and a cup of tea, to achieve even a passing facsimile of good humour in the morning.

He managed to get to the bed without mishap, lay on his front, and rested his head on his hands. Clover knelt behind him and began to gently smooth his feet, firmly kneading the painful muscles and only occasionally tickling the soles, making Qrow squirm. "You're doing that deliberately," he complained.

"Sorry," Clover said, not at all sorry as he looked down at Qrow's lean body stretched in front of him. Qrow didn't carry any spare weight and some people might have described him as slight, but Clover knew from seeing Qrow fight that his apparent lack of muscle was deceptive. Qrow took the battle to the Grimm, wielding Harbinger with an almost balletic grace that was a joy to watch. His hands stopped moving as his thoughts took over, until Qrow grumbled, "Come on Ebi, the job's only half done."

"Oh, sorry." Clover, continued to massage Qrow's legs, working up the calves, feeling the tension gradually dissipate. As his hands moved higher, fingers sliding under the hem of Qrow's robe to brush against his thighs, Qrow almost growled and wriggled out from under his touch.

"That's low, even for you," he said, "picking on a man when he's in the throes of post-cramp weakness."

Clover looked up at him and smirked. "Sorry Branwen," he said contritely, "just couldn't resist."

Qrow bent down and kissed the top of his head. "You're forgiven, that feels much better. But I'm hungry now, I really need something to eat. What about a biscuit and a cup of tea?"

"Make it hot chocolate and it's a deal. Do you want a hand?"

Qrow headed for the kitchen. "No, I've got this," he called back.

Clover sat back in the bed, pulled up the covers and hugged his knees. As he listened to Qrow pottering about in the kitchen he couldn't keep back a wide grin of pleasure. If anyone had told him domesticity would be so satisfying he might have done this long ago. _But you hadn't met Qrow long ago_ , he reminded himself. He heard the sound of the kettle coming to the boil, and heard Qrow curse as he dropped a spoon on the floor. His smile widened even further as "Oh, for Dust's sake!" shouted Qrow when another minor calamity occurred. Poor Qrow, his semblance always got the better of him when he woke up at this time of the night.

Qrow returned triumphantly to the bedroom carrying two mugs. He placed one on Clover's nightstand, slopping it awkwardly. "Sorry," he said as he took his own mug carefully round to his side of the bed.

"Don't forget the biscuits," said Clover cheerily. Since Ruby had made a friend in the kitchens, there was never a shortage of biscuits as she was only too happy to share the excess with her uncle.

"What have we got?" he asked, as Qrow returned with the biscuit tin. Qrow edged into the bed and peered inside.

"Uh, coconut ones and... ginger ones, I think?" he replied, slightly doubtfully.

Clover took what he hoped was a coconut biscuit, and bit off most of it in one mouthful. "Yep, definitely coconut," he said in a crumby voice.

Qrow took one of the other ones and nibbled at it cautiously. With a nod of approval, he dunked it confidently into his mug, where it promptly broke in two, half of it sinking to the bottom. With a deep sigh, he crammed the rest in his mouth, and took his tea back to the kitchen to extract the sad remains of the biscuit from the depths of the mug.

"Bad luck," said Clover, as he returned to the bedroom.

"Very funny." Qrow wondered if Clover would ever stop making those sorts of comments. He then wondered if he could ever get tired of hearing them. "Well, the piece I actually managed to eat was tasty anyway."

Qrow sat back in the bed and they finished their drinks in a companionable silence. Clover discarded his mug and retreated back under the covers to wait for Qrow to finish. After Qrow placed his empty mug carefully down, he leant across Clover to turn off the light.

"We really need two lamps," he muttered, looking at Clover's face just before flicking the switch. Clover's mouth still had a few crumbs around the edges. Even so, Qrow thought he had never seen a more captivating sight. He turned off the light and managed to find Clover's mouth in the darkness. A chocolatey, coconutty, gingery kiss confirmed his opinion.

All thoughts of cramp and a return to sleep were forgotten as he kissed Clover again. "How tired are you exactly?"

Clover reached up and touched the side of Qrow's face gently, before slowly trailing his fingers down across his chest. "Actually I feel wide awake now."

Qrow didn't need a further invitation. He caught Clover's hands and pinned them back against the pillow, straddling him as he did so.

The darkness was complete; there was only smell, and taste, and touch. Clover arched his body upwards as Qrow bent to kiss him again. _Waking up during the night has its compensations after all_.

❖

Later, when their bodies were curled against each other, and just before sleep finally took them over, Clover murmured against the back of Qrow's head, "What we were saying earlier, about families and kids and stuff."

"Mmm?"

"Well, it wasn't— I'm not _expecting_ any of it, or assuming it will happen. Please don't think I have this future planned out, and your part in it is already fixed. I just wanted to say how I'd _like_ things to be. And if we ever got that far, you— you'd still have your freedom, to be alone sometimes, to not always have to be there... I don't want to clip your wings."

Qrow groaned. "Not sure if that was sweet or dreadful."

"I was aiming for sweet. May have missed and ended up at dreadful by mistake."

"Ah well, your intention was noble. And thank you," he said sleepily, snuggling back against Clover. "You can be my prince on a white horse, just don't put bars on the castle window..." His words became more indistinct as he started to drift.

Clover hugged him gently, kissing the back of his head.

"G'night Clover, love you."

"Love you too, Qrow. Sleep tight."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please trust me when I say  
> We can find another way  
> And I hope you understand  
> I am here to hold your hand  
>  _Hold On - Nemesea_

❖

Winter sat at her desk, and for the umpteenth time, wondered about General Ironwood. Penny had told her she was close to getting all the information from the encrypted files. Winter was pleased that very soon, they would have a better understanding of the General's intentions. She was trying to hold fast to her hope that, at the end of all this, there would be a sensible explanation for his actions. Winter had dedicated her adult life to the Atlesian military; proud to serve the General and thinking of him almost as a father figure she could admire. If that was all about to be undermined, she was not sure how she would cope.

She re-arranged the items on her exceptionally tidy desk, moving the notepad a fraction to the left and the pen tidy a fraction to the right. There was a tentative tap at the partially open door, and Weiss peered around the edge of it. Winter looked up, surprised to see her sister there.

"Are you busy? I don't want to disturb you if it's not convenient," said Weiss as she half-entered the room.

"No, it's fine. Come in."

Weiss entered slowly and stood in front of the desk. "I feel like I'm in trouble with the headmistress."

"Why, what have you done?" asked Winter with a slight smile on her face.

"Nothing. At least, I don't think so. It's just... I wanted to see how you were."

"Me? I'm very well, why do you ask?"

Weiss walked across the room to study a map of Mantle which was displayed on the wall. "The Grimm attacks are getting worse. I feel as if— something is going to happen. Something particular I mean." She turned round to look at her sister.

"Oh, Weiss." Winter got up quickly and to Weiss' surprise, gave her a hug.

"What is it, what do you know?"

"Nothing, nothing," replied Winter hastily. She didn't want to—she couldn't—burden her younger sister with her suspicions. _That's all they are at the moment anyway._

"We are aware of the heightened intensity of the attacks. I'm sorry you and your friends came here, hoping for a respite, and now things are getting worse and worse." She sat back in her chair, her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped.

Weiss studied her critically. "If you can't tell me, because it's confidential or something, then fine. But I think if things are happening which will affect other people, they should be told." Winter looked at her in surprise, as she continued, "And anyway, you're my sister, and I know we haven't seen a lot of each other lately, but I can tell when you're not happy. So, if there's anything we can do to help, please say."

Winter stood again and gave Weiss a slightly stiff hug. "When did you become so wise?" she asked.

Weiss looked at her oddly. "Was that a joke?" Winter was puzzled. "Wise... Weiss. Well, perhaps not."

Winter smiled at her. "We should spend more time together, now you're here."

"Maybe next time we have a team meal you'd like to come?"

"I heard about the last one. I'm not sure it would be my ideal evening out."

"You never know," said Weiss as she headed for the door. "It might be more fun than you'd think. I'll let you know if we fix a date."

"Take care, Weiss." Winter looked steadily at her sister.

"And you." Weiss raised a hand in a small wave as she left.

Winter returned to her desk, but finally had to admit there was nothing more to rearrange. Drawing her terminal closer, she began to pore yet again over the data which the patrol teams had been gathering. She still could not see a pattern to the attacks, but everyone agreed the Grimm seemed to be increasing in ferocity. This was obviously not good news, but Winter couldn't see how General Ironwood could be behind this development.

Her scroll buzzed and she saw there was a message from Penny. Tapping it, she read:

_Della's Donut Shack. 15:00. This message will delete in 2 minutes._

Winter had never heard of Della's Donut Shack, and she wondered where Penny was getting her inspiration for these meeting places. The message faded, and Winter checked the time. There were a couple of hours to spare, and she decided this time Specialist Ebi should be present. She wanted them both to hear first hand what Penny had to say.

❖

There was a knock at the door of Clover's quarters. Clover was in the bathroom, so after a moment's hesitation, Qrow decided to answer it. He secured the towel more snugly around his waist as he opened the door.

It was impossible to say whose face wore the more horrified expression when he looked out and saw Winter standing in the hallway. Qrow was certain her eyebrows actually disappeared into her hair as she took a small step backwards.

"Uh, hello Winter. You'll be wanting Clover I expect."

Winter had lost the power of speech, edging past Qrow whilst making every effort not to come into contact with him. At that moment Clover came out of the bathroom. "Please can I have your towel, mine fell in the shower and it's a bit soggy. Oh."

Winter was now caught between Qrow—wearing only a towel—and Clover— wearing nothing at all. "For Dust's sake you two, make yourselves decent. Ebi, I need a word." She stalked past him and sat on the sofa, looking pointedly across the room and ignoring both men. Clover and Qrow exchanged looks, lips pursed as they tried to stifle their giggles. Qrow threw his towel at Clover and ran into the bedroom, catching his foot on a chair leg and stumbling the last few metres before reaching safety and slamming the door behind him.

Clover, towel now safely in place, said, "I'll... just finish off," and followed him. There was the sound of muffled laughter, and a muted crash as if someone had fallen on the bed. Left alone, Winter granted herself a small smile. _It's good to know there is still happiness to be found, even if it's not mine._

When the two men emerged, fully clothed and doing their best to appear nonchalant, Winter found herself laughing. Qrow and Clover looked at her in surprise. "Of course, I knew you were— seeing each other. I hadn't appreciated the extent of your domestic arrangements."

"The General is fine with it," Clover told her quickly.

Winter's face lost all traces of good humour. "Yes. The General." She looked meaningfully at Clover, then raised her eyebrows towards Qrow _. How does she_ do _that?_ thought Clover.

Momentarily distracted by the mobility of Winter's eyebrows, he said, "It's fine, Qrow is in the loop."

"That's right, we share _everything."_ Qrow's face was a mask of angelic innocence.

"Branwen," Winter sighed, "please try and act like a sensible adult for once in your life. We have a situation here."

Qrow opened his mouth, ready with his riposte, but all he said was, "Ow!" as Clover kicked him surreptitiously on the ankle. He glared at Clover, who said, "We both appreciate the severity of the recent... discoveries. Given how this will potentially affect all personnel, I feel it's reasonable Huntsman Branwen should be made aware of any developments."

"What he said," added Qrow helpfully.

Winter sighed deeply. "Very well. I am meeting Penny at 15:00 in _Della's Donut Shack."_ Clover's lips twitched as he heard Winter saying words she had probably never spoken before.

"We'll be there."

"We certainly will. Donuts!" Qrow decided to focus on the positive for once.

Winter stood up and tugged at her jacket. "Remember, this is _not_ a game. It's no exaggeration to say the future of Atlas could be at stake here," she said sternly, frowning at Qrow.

"Look Winter, I know," he said. "Ignore me."

"With pleasure, Branwen. Ebi, see you at 15:00." She nodded at Clover and left.

❖

Della's Donut Shack was a small establishment in one of the less salubrious parts of Atlas, although it would have been considered an up-market eating place in Mantle. Winter wondered again how Penny came to choose this out of the way place for their meeting, then realised that was probably why. She was a little out of her comfort zone here, and glad she had changed out of her uniform before leaving the barracks. She hoped Specialist Ebi would have taken the same precaution. _Although any clothes at all would be an improvement on earlier_ , she reflected. Ebi had always been a straight-up conscientious Ironwood supporter— _as have I_ —but these changing times were affecting him. _Not only him_.

With this uncomfortable thought she pushed open the door, to be assailed by a blast of loud music and an overpowering sickly-sweet smell. Penny was sitting in a booth, dark glasses once again perched on her nose. She glanced up as the door opened and raised her hand slightly in greeting.

Winter sat down beside Penny at the table, quickly followed by Qrow and Clover who arrived a few moments later. Penny looked at them in surprise.

"Specialist Ebi, Hunstman Branwen, fancy meeting you here," she said brightly, shooting a glance at Winter.

"It's alright Penny, they are here for the same reason I am."

Penny still looked slightly worried. Turning to Clover, she said, "Do the geese—"

"We don't need to mention the geese, Penny. I can vouch for these two. We're here because we all need to know what you've discovered."

Clover, relieved he wouldn't have to answer questions about geese, smiled encouragingly at Penny. "It's as Winter says. We all understand the discretion needed, so you can be frank."

"I will be frank. Yes." She took out her scroll and felt inside her coat, removing a small plug-in drive from a hidden pocket. Connecting it to the scroll, she tapped the screen and turned it to face the others.

"It has taken me longer than I expected to decrypt the information in the files. But now I have done so, and here it is."

There were six files, and she displayed each of them in turn.

The first was a list of personnel, including Hunters and members of the Ace Ops. Against each name was listed their weapon, fighting style, strengths and perceived weaknesses.

The second was a list of location co-ordinates, which Penny explained were various points around the perimeter wall of Mantle.

The third was a list of various municipal buildings in Mantle, including schools, hospitals, doctors' surgeries, police stations, and other administration departments.

The fourth was a fairly short list which showed another set of location co-ordinates, each with what appeared looked like a time of day against it.

The fifth was a list of names, some of them unfamiliar. The ones they recognised were mostly senior officials in various departments, and wealthy business people in Atlas.

The final file listed a timeline showing a number of dates. A few of these were in the recent past, most were in the next six months or so. Three of the dates had an asterisk against them. The earliest of these was about two weeks' away.

"What the _fuck_ is Jimmy up to?" Qrow was furious, but he managed to keep his voice low. Penny looked alarmed.

"It's okay Penny, you've done really well. There is a lot of information here. What we need to do is to understand what it could mean, and why the General would have gathered it into these files." Winter hoped Qrow would control his temper.

"It's obvious what it means," Qrow hissed. "It means—"

"I'm not sure it's obvious," Clover interrupted. "I don't see why it should be in encrypted files, but... there's not much here that isn't general knowledge. Is there?" He turned to Winter.

She didn't respond immediately, tapping her finger on the table in a way Qrow found infuriating. "It's true quite a lot of these details are not exactly sensitive. But some are... mysterious. What do these locations along the wall represent? And what about the list of dates? There is something not quite right here, but as it stands, we don't know enough to proceed. We have to try and make sense of it first."

Qrow said, his voice almost a growl, "What about these dates? The first marked one is only a fortnight away. If he's planning something for then, we don't have time to sit around pondering. We have to _do_ something."

"You're right, Qrow." Clover was worried he would return to the barracks and try to confront the General without waiting any longer. "But we have to know what we're dealing with. If we go to the General and demand an explanation, without hard evidence, he'd probably arrest us. And that would get us nowhere."

Penny had been sitting very quietly, glancing from one face to another anxiously. "I can look more closely at the location information. It should not take me long to establish if there is a pattern to it."

"That's a good idea Penny. I will give you the details I have been collating on the Grimm raids, that may shed some light on it."

Qrow had calmed down a little by now. "We have to move quickly, I'm really worried something big is going down on one of these marked dates."

Clover squeezed his hand under the table. "Let's leave it with Penny and Winter for the moment. They're in the best position to spot a link if there is one."

Winter stood up as Penny pocketed the drive and picked up her scroll. "Would you like to walk back with me, Penny?"

"Thank you, yes, I would. Let us go."

"I'll be in touch very soon, Ebi. Try not to fret, Qrow. We will get there."

Qrow watched in amazement as they left. "She didn't call me Branwen. That's never happened before."

"It shows how shaken up she must be. Try not to let your temper run away with you, Qrow. I know you want to just go and kick the General's butt or something, but we have to be clever. If he sees us coming, it'll make anything we have to do a lot harder."

"I know that, I do. But I'm so _mad._ That _bastard_ —"

"I know." He squeezed Qrow's hand again, his brow furrowed. "Given what we've just seen, would you still like a donut? It's not like we can do anything at the moment, and we haven't actually ordered anything yet."

Part of Qrow wanted to keep his anger at a boil, but part of him really wanted a donut. He decided his anger could be put on hold.

"Let's see what sorts they have, shall we?" He picked up the menu card propped at one end of the table and looked at it thoughtfully.

Clover exhaled a slow breath. He had never seen Qrow on the brink of such anger. Well, not since that time when he flew off—

Qrow nudged him. "Donut?"

"Donut," said Clover.

❖

Qrow had enjoyed the donuts, but that was several hours ago, and now he was feeling disgruntled. His initial reaction to Penny's information had surprised even him, but on reflection he now realised why this was.

Since coming to Atlas, and especially since he and Clover had got together, what he considered his baseline mood had changed. He was at least content most of the time, and this was interspersed with periods of actual happiness, which he was still becoming accustomed to. The anger he felt earlier was so far removed from his current mood, it seemed so much worse than it might have been, maybe six months ago.

Also running through his mind was what he stood to lose. His love for his nieces, and concern for all the other kids he had spent the last months watching over, was still a major consideration. Alongside this now was his love for Clover, which filled every part of him which had been empty for so long. To think harm could come to his kids, or Clover might somehow be taken away from him, made his insides churn. Qrow knew if somehow disposing of General Ironwood was needed to prevent these things from happening, he would do it without question. He had fought to defend those he loved for so long, it was almost second nature.

Clover lay beside him as Qrow stared at the ceiling, frowning while these thoughts ran round his head. He reached out a hand and touched Qrow's cheek tentatively. "Where are you, Qrow?" he asked quietly.

For a moment there was no response, then Qrow sighed and turned to face him. "Sorry," he said. "I can't stop thinking about Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood, and what it might mean if he ends up stabbing us in the back."

"Perhaps it won't come to that. Maybe we're jumping to conclusions." Even as Clover spoke, he knew it sounded weak. Qrow rounded on him.

"I can't believe you're still trying to defend him, to give him the benefit of the doubt! He doesn't deserve your loyalty, he doesn't deserve you." He turned his back on Clover and curled his body away from him.

"It's not like that, please, Qrow—"

"I've spent so long trying to keep them safe... they've suffered pain and loss and— if something happens to them, or you, I don't know what I'll do, I can't bear it..."

Clover put a hand on his shoulder. "Qrow, please, don't torment yourself. We don't know what might happen—"

"No, and when we do it'll be too late!" Qrow shouted and scrambled off the bed. They had come back to his quarters so he couldn't even storm out. He aimed a kick at the foot of the bed, forgetting he had no boots on, and collapsed in agony as his toes crunched against the metalwork. "Oh, for Dust's sake!"

At any other time Clover might well have smiled at Qrow's predicament, but he was worried. Qrow seemed a long way away, and he wasn't sure how to reach him. He got off the bed and sat on the floor beside the older man.

"Qrow, please." He took Qrow's hand, only for Qrow to pull it away petulantly. Clover felt his own temper starting to rise, and hastily tried to squash the feeling.

After a moment Qrow reached out and rubbed Clover's leg, which was the only part of him he could reach. Clover touched his hand. "Come here," he said, patting the floor in front of him.

Qrow shifted himself over and sat between Clover's outstretched legs, his knees up and his arms clasped around them. He did not resist when Clover moved closer, but he did not relax either, sitting stiffly when Clover tried to put his arms around him. "You can be hard work sometimes, d'you know that, Branwen?"

Qrow shrugged his shoulders, but leant back against Clover and began to rub his sore foot. "Is your foot okay?" asked Clover.

"Yeah, I think so," mumbled Qrow.

Clover kissed the back of his neck. "Look, we have to be able to talk about this without arguing. I get you're worried. Gods, I'm worried too. I'm worried sick something dreadful is going to happen, and people will die, and at the end of it I might have lost you. When I start thinking that might happen— I just feel sick... so maybe I'm trying to hope it can somehow be avoided. But at the same time, I think I know I'm being naïve."

"We've all been naïve. Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood has kept everyone in the dark, playing his game, whatever it turns out to be—"

"But that's exactly it, we don't know _what_ his game is. We have to find out so we can respond in the most effective way."

"Yeah soldier-boy, gotta get the effective response going." Qrow's bitterness surged up again.

That was enough for Clover. He got to his feet, saying, "That's not fair, Qrow. There's no talking to you at the moment. Let me know when you're ready to talk things through like an adult."

Clover grabbed his jacket and left, closing the door quietly behind him. He paused, his back against the door. Drawing a deep breath that ended in a gulp, he turned to open the door again, before stopping himself. _There's no point, we'd only argue even more._

He stood back and walked down the corridor, his feet dragging as though they were drawn back to Qrow. Clover squared his shoulders. _I don't need this in my life. Everything is too messy. This is not who I am._ His pace quickened as he turned the corner and walked away.

  


Qrow waited for a few minutes, sure that Clover would return. He was the reasonable one, he was the one who talked Qrow through these moods. He was the one Qrow wanted to be there.

When Clover didn't come back, Qrow didn't know what to do, and he despised the feeling. _This is what you get when you rely on someone else. You're better off by yourself._

Qrow dragged off his clothes and crawled into the bed. He knew he had been unreasonable, and he hated himself for it. But at that moment, he hated Clover more, for letting Qrow believe he could love him. _Loving someone makes you weak, it stops you thinking straight. I should have known all along, this isn't for me._

His heart was raw, as if it had been pulled from his chest and exposed to the cold Solitas air. His whole body was stiff, and he ached all over. Sleep eventually came, but when he awoke the following morning, everything still hurt and there was no word from Clover.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who do you need, who do you love  
> When you come undone  
>  _Come Undone - Duran Duran_

❖

Clover's alarm sounded at the usual early hour. He reached out to cancel it, already awake. His sleep had been punctuated by periods of wakefulness, as he stared into the dark, trying to make sense of the previous day.

His world had been turned inside out in more ways than one. Whatever was happening with the General, he would deal with, somehow. His military training would get him through. As for Qrow—

There was a constant ache deep inside his chest. If he'd never met Qrow, that feeling would never have been present.

_Feeling._ If he'd never met Qrow, the euphoria, the delight, the joy he had felt these last weeks, would not have existed.

Any number of trite phrases ran through Clover's mind. About taking the rough with the smooth. About the path of true love. About the best part of breaking up.

He didn't want to break up with Qrow. He wanted them to face their difficulties, together. He had never wanted anything more.

He just didn't know how to go about mending the hurt between them.

❖

Qrow did not make it to breakfast, nor did he attend the briefing meeting. He was tempted to take his bird form and simply fly away, but he knew he couldn't do it. Even if Clover hadn't been there— _why do I_ ache _so much when I think of him_?—it was not possible to leave the kids. Qrow was done with running, but not sure what to do in its place. _Can't even hide in a bottle any more._ So for now he lay curled up on his bed, tears drying on his face.

There was a knock at the door.

Qrow ignored it. _Probably Ruby and Yang come to give me a pep talk_.

Whoever it was knocked again, then spoke his name. It was Clover's voice.

Qrow wanted to ignore the wave of relief that washed over him. He tried to pretend the lurching of his stomach was due to a lack of breakfast. Instead he went to answer the door.

Clover was standing stiffly in the hallway, his hands behind his back. Qrow looked at him; at his blotchy face and less than impeccable hair. Then he stood aside so Clover could come in.

Clover walked past Qrow, taking great care not to brush against him. As Qrow made to follow him, he went no further but turned around, offering Qrow the thing he'd been holding behind his back.

"I got you a cookie from the mess hall. I thought you might be hungry." He allowed himself to look at Qrow's face. Qrow was frowning; he took the cookie but didn't immediately speak.

"Thank you. Would you like a cup of tea?"

The painfully polite and impersonal tone of Qrow's voice cut into Clover, in a way that no weapon ever had. The man before him wasn't the person he had so recently shared such intimate moments with. "No, I— I need to get on. I just wanted— I need to get on."

He moved to pass Qrow, who did not get out of the way. "Clover." The tiniest, whispered word sounded as though it had been dragged up from somewhere deep inside Qrow.

"What do you want, Qrow? I don't know how to make things right." On his way over Clover had sworn he wouldn't get emotional. _It's emotional that got us into this mess._ His voice was unsteady, but for now his eyes were dry.

Qrow looked down at the cookie. It was a dark chocolate one with pieces of white chocolate in it. His favourite.

"Please let me make a cup of tea. You know cookies go best with tea. And I'd like to share it with you." He raised his eyes, looking up from under his fringe to see Clover's reaction.

Clover sighed. "Okay then. I didn't eat much at breakfast, as it happens."

Qrow went to put the kettle on. Clover stood hesitantly, wanting more than anything to hug Qrow tightly and squeeze away all the hurt. Instead, he went to sit on the edge of the bed, half-watching Qrow as he clattered about in the kitchen area.

"How is your foot?" he asked eventually, striving for normality. _This isn't our normal, though. I sound like I'm talking to Winter._

"Painful." _If this was a corny story I'd add 'like my heart'_ , thought Qrow. Instead he picked up the mugs and carried them through. Handing one to Clover, he said, "Wait a mo, I'll get the cookie."

He broke it in two and offered the slightly larger half to Clover.

"No, you have the bigger bit. You had no breakfast."

"For all you know, I could've gone somewhere and had something," said Qrow defensively.

"Did you though?"

"No." He paused. "Giving you the bigger bit is me kind of saying sorry."

"It's a bit of an obscure way of doing it."

"Why be obvious when you can be mysterious?"

Clover choked, spitting tea and crumbs onto his lap. "Now look what you've made me do!"

"Me? I've done nothing except give you tea and wait for your grovelling apology."

Clover looked at him, his eyes bright, as he tried to rub his trousers dry. "Don't do this, Qrow. _Please_ don't be flippant now. I can't bear it."

The desperation in Clover's voice broke through Qrow's walls. Always he'd tried to joke his way out of situations, scorning any opportunity for meaningful discussion with the delivery of a well-timed barb. _Not this time_.

Qrow took Clover's mug and put them both to one side. He sat beside him, wanting to take his hand, but still not certain if he should. He realised he had hurt Clover deeply, and wisecracks would not help him. He had to be an adult for once. _Gods, the Ice Queen got it right._

"Clover, I have been the shittiest of shits, and there is no way in Remnant you should want to be around me." There was no response from the man sitting beside him, so he went on, "I was so angry with James _fucking_ Ironwood and I took it out on you. That wasn't fair."

"Is that his new middle name now?" Clover asked, unable to help himself.

"What... what are you on about? I'm trying to apologise and you're coming out with stupid comments."

"At this point I could say _Now you know how it feels_ , but that would be ungracious."

Qrow was about to bat that back with a piece of trademark wit, but managed to stop himself. "We've fucked up a bit here, haven't we?"

"Copy that."

"Hmph. Well, how do we fix it, 'cause I really don't know how this all works." He paused. "And I want to fix it."

"Well, I just want to say something, if you promise to listen and not butt in."

"I'll keep my butt well out of the way."

Clover tried to stop his lips twitching. "It must be instinct or something, I swear you don't even know you're doing it."

"What did I say now?" Qrow was aggrieved.

"Never mind. _Anyway,_ what I wanted to say was this." Clover took a deep breath and continued. "You've said it a few times— how coming here, us meeting and everything that's happened since— it's changed your life, changed you, turned things upside-down... Well, finding out all this stuff about the General, having to contemplate the idea he could be a traitor, that he's no longer the person I thought I knew... it's had the same kind of impact on me. For more than half my life this has been my world, something dependable and consistent. And now—" he fell silent.

"Uh, I never thought of it like that. Clover, I'm... sorrier than I've ever been. Well except maybe that time when—"

"Don't spoil it Qrow, you were doing so well."

"Sorry. Like I said before, years of conditioning—"

"We're both of us a product of our past, Qrow."

"That's deep, you should put it on a poster of a sunrise or something."

"For Dust's sake, you infuriating bastard." Clover stood up, taking Qrow's hands to pull him to his feet. He kissed Qrow a bit more roughly than he intended, easing off as the other man wrapped his arms around him. He felt Qrow's tears against his face, _or maybe they're mine?_ It didn't matter. Qrow was back from his dark place, and they were together.

❖

"I've just realised, didn't you have to be somewhere? You had to _get on._ " Qrow's voice was muffled against Clover's chest as they lay together on the bed. The kiss and the tears had become the longest of cwtches, as each man found solace in the warmth and closeness of the other.

"Wasn't strictly accurate. I've given myself a few hours personal time."

"You've got a cushy number there, Ebi."

"Maybe so. Doesn't mean I wouldn't give it up in an instant if I thought it was the wrong place to be."

"That's my boy." _So, what, I'm the proud father now? Not at all creepy._

"Okay weirdo. Anyway, I hadn't finished what I was saying earlier, before your timely comment."

"Which one do you mean? There were so many—"

"And... we're off. Normal service has been resumed." Clover wondered how you could love someone so much, and yet be infuriated with them so often. He wondered if Qrow had ever had the same thought about him.

"Just one more thing. I was thinking about the fact we're not kids, not even young adults. We've—"

"If you're about to say _been around the block a few times_ I may have to smother you."

"Well, that's not very friendly. But we've lived a fair amount of our lives already, is what I mean. Things have happened to us to make us who we are. When you meet someone and you're both young, you experience things together. We haven't, our lives have been very different. So we have to take that into account when stuff like this," he waved a hand vaguely, "happens. D'you see what I'm getting at?"

Qrow drew back a little so he could look into Clover's face. "The depths of his wisdom were unexpected, given his unlined face and the absolute perfection of his gorgeous body," he said with a completely straight face.

"What the _actual?_ Are you laughing at me?"

"Only a little. The things you say make sense, it's just they sound odd coming out of someone's mouth. You normally see them written down in self-help books, or crap like that." Qrow had once had very brief contact with a worthy book Weiss had given him. Never again.

"Well, even if you didn't mean it, I'll take it as a compliment. And it's just occurred to me, this would make a good guideline."

"Oh yeah, whatever happened to those?"

"They've not been forgotten, not by me anyway. Just been put on hold with all the busy times we've been having lately." Clover sat up and picked up his scroll, entering something quickly before putting it down, and getting back to the more important matter of lying as close to Qrow as possible.

When Clover's scroll buzzed a short while later he was tempted to ignore it. It buzzed again, however, so with a groan he reached out and peered at the screen.

"Winter wants to see us. She has information."

Qrow sat up. "That was quick."

"Well, I guess with her and Penny putting their heads together, they've managed to spot something. We have to go for a walk in Nicholas Park at midday."

"That'll be nice. We should take a picnic."

"Do you _really_ suppose Winter would think that was a good idea? I doubt even _you_ think it is."

"Maybe not, but we should totally go for a picnic before all the stuff hits the fan, whatever stuff it is. Might not get a chance afterwards. Just you and me though."

Clover hugged him. "That would be nice. Just not today."

❖

They passed into the park, leaving the street sounds behind them. A few children and their carers were enjoying the fresh air, although Qrow didn't find much to enjoy himself. The biting wind nipped uncomfortably at their faces, and there was the suggestion of snow in the air. Clover's jacket collar was turned up and his hands were in his pockets. Qrow hugged his arm as they walked slowly round, looking about for Winter, who didn't seem to have arrived yet. His nose was slowly turning red with the cold.

"What you said earlier about us being old," he began.

"I didn't actually say that. And I'm not as old as you anyway. I mean, I'm in the prime of my life. You're probably heading towards middle age, I reckon."

"Look, seven years is nothing. You'll be where I am soon. Although of course I'll be older then too... anyway what I was going to say; I'm sure I didn't feel the cold like this when I was younger." Qrow was irked.

"It could be an age thing. Or maybe spending longer here kind of reduces the aura's ability to keep the cold off? I've never thought about it."

"But it doesn't affect you, does it? Or is it starting to? I mean, do you _have_ to wear a jacket?"

"I probably don't, but if you are, it only seems fair in a way. I don't want you to feel, oh I don't know, different to me. And anyway, I like to do this." He took one of Qrow's hands and pocketed it with his own. "Can't do that if I'm not wearing a jacket."

"You're adorable." Qrow squeezed Clover's fingers. "And look, there's Winter."

Winter walked towards them slowly. Her shoulders were drooping, and she had a beaten air about her.

"Ebi. Branwen." Now they were closer they could see the tiredness like a veil across her face.

"Winter." Clover didn't generally use her first name, but it came naturally at this moment.

She fell into step beside Clover as they continued to walk. "It's bad." Her voice was bleak.

"Okay, how bad?" asked Clover.

"Penny and I... we managed to make sense of the less obvious data. The co-ordinates of locations around the perimeter; they point to the areas of weakness we've identified in the barricades. The co-ordinates linked to times of the day? Those are times when those areas will be especially busy, with vehicles or people."

"I still don't see—" Clover began.

"There's one more thing, separate from the files." Qrow looked across at her, his eyes hard.

"Penny was looking at the communications logs for the recent past. There have been several unusual transmissions emanating from the General's office. She couldn't establish the destination, but it was nowhere within Atlas. Nowhere within Remnant."

"What?" Qrow and Clover spoke in unison.

"The General has been in communication with someone or something at a location which isn't on the planet's surface."

"But... but..." Clover was out of his depth. Qrow even more so.

"So I'll tell you what I think. I should say Penny believes this is a feasible explanation, no matter how preposterous it sounds." After a moment she continued. "General Ironwood has gathered information detailing our weaknesses. The damaged barricades, the dossiers on all the Hunters, details of municipal and other significant buildings. Also details of when certain areas would be expected to contain large numbers of citizens, along with the list of influential names, and the dates we saw, and the evidence of clandestine communications... it all points to him being in league with an external actor to wreak some kind of havoc on Mantle. And he will be supported in this by his cohorts."

Their steps had slowed almost to a standstill. Now they stopped completely. Both men were looking at Winter in horror.

"What would you say is the probability your suggestion is correct?" Clover was shocked but needed to know the worst-case scenario.

"Penny and I think maybe ninety to ninety-five percent. You can't truly quantify it, but we could not derive any other explanation which would account for all the factors."

"What happens next?" If Qrow had his way it would be simple, and Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood and his little, or maybe not so little, plan would be history.

Clover looked at Winter. "I'm not that familiar with the protocol in this area. Is it two or three senior officers we need?"

"Two. I made a point of reviewing the regulations this morning."

Qrow said, "If you need me to do anything, break some heads or whatever, just say."

"Thank you Branwen, that shouldn't be necessary. Ebi and I need to proceed carefully, and strictly according to the regulations. We can't afford to leave anything open to misinterpretation, or the risk of being challenged because correct protocol wasn't observed."

Qrow was reminded why he loathed the military machine, but even he understood why this was the line they had to take.

"Qrow, Winter and I have a lot to discuss. Can you give us a bit of time? I'll fill you in later."

"No problem. I might go and check out the mission board, see if there are any Grimm I can take it out on."

"Be careful. I mean, you probably won't, but I feel like I should say it anyway." Clover kissed him lightly on the cheek and after a quick hug, Qrow strode off.

Winter had turned away as they said goodbye. She now looked at Clover. "You both seem— very happy."

"Um, you should have been around earlier," said Clover with a small laugh. "I mean, I love Qrow to bits, but he can be a maddening bastard at times. Quite a lot of the time."

Winter looked at him, and was surprised to see him smiling. "Is that what love is like?" Her voice was wistful.

Clover suddenly realised who he was talking to. "Oh gods, don't listen to me, I'm just talking nonsense. We've got far more urgent things to deal with."

"Yes, indeed." Winter mentally shook herself, and wondered what she had been thinking, talking in that almost intimate way. "Let us decide how we proceed."

Clover was also surprised at Winter's words. He had never to his knowledge had a personal conversation with her in all the years they'd worked together. Now didn't seem like the best time to start. She had sounded so sad, though. _Maybe not such an Ice Queen after all_.

They agreed they would see the General the following morning, and serve the necessary papers which permitted them to take him into custody. Then due process would commence, and they would get to the bottom of his plan.

"The other Ace Ops will be on side, no problem. They know to play by the rules, even if they don't like them. So long as we do everything by the book, there'll be no difficulty."

"Very well. Come to my office tomorrow at 10:00. We can check the paperwork and then go to the General."

"Winter, will you be okay with this? I mean, I'm finding it hard to take in, it must be at least as bad for you."

"Ebi... Clover. The ultimate objective is to protect the people of Atlas and Mantle, isn't it? Our personal feelings about fellow officers don't count."

"But it still makes it tough, though. The General... well, he hasn't always been this way. I don't know what's changed."

"Me neither, but that doesn't alter the fact that as things stand, he appears to be a danger to life. We are obliged to arrest him. End of."

Clover looked down at her. Winter's jaw was set and her hands clenched tightly. He laid a hand lightly on her arm, causing her to stiffen slightly, although she did not move away.

"We'll get through it. It won't be easy, but we're soldiers, we're trained to cope with difficult situations."

"Yes, we will. See you at 10:00 tomorrow, Ebi." She straightened her shoulders and walked away purposefully. Clover followed slowly, leaving the park and heading back to the barracks. Tomorrow would be the most significant day of his military career. He wasn't relishing it one bit.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when  
> The truth was a lie all along?  
> Where do you turn to  
> When you find the rights were always wrong?  
>  _Heart is a Hole - Cherri Bomb_

❖

When the alarm went off at 6:30 Clover was already awake, and had been for at least half an hour. Qrow slept through the alarm as usual, simply turning and flinging an arm across Clover, before sinking back into deep sleep.

Clover smiled a little and put his hand over Qrow's, lacing their fingers together. _I wish I could stay here all day. I wish—_

The alarm sounded again and Clover realised he had only snoozed it. As he scrambled to shut it off before it woke Qrow, he pushed it onto the floor... and woke Qrow. _Damn_.

"Is it a _let's wake up a bit earlier so we can have some hanky-panky before work_ morning?" Qrow asked drowsily, "I'm quite keen, but I'm also still tired..." His words tailed off even as his hand slid down to check Clover's intentions.

"Not sure I'm in the mood this morning." Clover wriggled free of Qrow's hand before his body decided for him. _Damn, too late._

"You sure about that?" Qrow sounded more awake.

"Mentally, I mean. Why do men's dicks have a mind of their own?"

Qrow had a vision of sentient penises marching about the place. He shuddered. "Okay, you've put me off now."

"Sorry, but it's for the best. I need a clear head for this meeting with Winter. And then the General..."

Qrow leaned up on one elbow. "Oh gods, I'm sorry Clover, I'd kind of forgotten. Of course you wouldn't—"

"Maybe later, I'll probably need cheering up."

"I can do that! Well, I'll try," said Qrow hopefully. "How long will this all take?"

"I really have no idea. It's never happened before."

"Do you want me to be there, or thereabouts?"

"No thanks, it's best if we keep it purely military. Don't want anyone saying you're involved at all." Clover slowly stood up from the bed.

"Fair point. Will it be missions as usual for us, then?"

"Yes, or training. Can you sort that out? The Ace Ops will be with me and Winter."

"Sure, no problem. Oh, one more thing."

Clover turned towards him, and Qrow kneeled up on the bed and hugged him tightly. "You're doing the right thing."

"Thank you. I do know that— but it still feels wrong."

"That's your past messing with you. Focus on now." He looked into Clover's troubled eyes. " _We're all depending on you, Specialist Ebi._ "

Clover couldn't help smiling. "You're good for me Branwen." He unhooked himself and headed for the shower. _In a few hours we'll have done this. Then we can move on. Somehow._

❖

It was shortly before 10 o'clock when Clover knocked on the door of Winter's office. She was sitting at her desk, looking through some papers. Her eyes met Clover's as he entered. She looked as though she hadn't slept at all.

"How are you, Winter?" Clover didn't know why he was calling her by her first name now. Things were changing on every level.

"As you'd expect. Apprehensive, concerned, determined..."

"Yep, me too. Can you show me the paperwork so I know what's what?"

Winter went through the documents, pointing out details here and there. _It's so impersonal, of course. It has to be. But this is the General..._

Clover reminded himself of Qrow's words. "Forget the past. Focus on now."

"Sorry?"

He hadn't realised he'd spoken the words aloud. "Oh, something Qrow said to me. I was fretting this morning."

"I do believe you're a good influence on him, Ebi. He almost sounds like a proper adult."

"You and him don't really get on, do you?"

"We've had our moments in the past. I think the future will have to be different."

"We should do this." Clover stood up and pulled his scroll from his pocket. "I'm going to call the other Ace Ops in. I haven't told them what's going on yet, I didn't want to risk anything leaking out." He tapped on the device and hit send. "They should be here in a few minutes."

When the others arrived he ushered them in, closing the door behind them. Marrow and Harriet looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"There has been a serious security breach within the barracks," Clover began. "We have a very strong suspicion of the culprit. We have the necessary paperwork here," as he gestured to the desk, "so our job is to make the arrest."

"Who is the individual concerned?" asked Vine.

Clover glanced at Winter. "General Ironwood."

Winter looked at their stunned faces. She hoped Clover's confidence in his team would not be misplaced.

"I appreciate the enormity of this situation," he continued. "Specialist Schnee and I have carried out an in-depth investigation, and there is only a very small chance of error. We cannot take the risk of inaction, so the plan is to place the General under arrest pending a military enquiry. I want this carried out as painlessly as possible for all concerned. Wint— Specialist Schnee and I will present the paperwork and make the formal arrest. You will be present as witnesses... and backup if it should be needed."

"Do you mean, if the General tries to resist?" Marrow sounded nervous.

"Yes, although I very much hope he will act in a reasonable manner. Are there any questions?"

"Probably loads, but the main one— will he be armed?" asked Elm.

Clover looked at Winter. "Does he still keep a gun in his desk?"

"I believe he may do, although he surely wouldn't—"

"We have to hope he will act reasonably, but be prepared for a situation if he doesn't," Clover said. "We will go into the office, Harriet and Vine will wait just inside the door, and Marrow and Elm will wait outside. We'll call you in if necessary." He looked questioningly at Winter, who nodded in agreement. "Right, let's go."

❖

"So you're saying he didn't protest at all? No denials, no bluster? Just allowed himself to be led away?" Qrow almost sounded disappointed.

He'd caught up with Clover in the mess hall after the General had been apprehended, having worked up an appetite after the morning's training. Clover had eaten too, but had only picked at his food. They'd headed back to Qrow's quarters so Clover could fill him in on the details of what had happened.

"No, it was a bit of an anti-climax after all our soul-searching beforehand. He stood up, tidied his desk, and let us escort him from the office. We had to cuff him of course. That was— bad. I couldn't look at him at all."

Clover sat up suddenly, then got off the bed and went quickly to the bathroom. From beyond the closed door Qrow could hear the sounds of retching. After a moment's hesitation he too got off the bed and filled a glass with water. When Clover emerged, rubbing his face which had a light sheen of sweat across it, he silently handed him the glass.

Clover took a noisy gulp. "Thanks. Not sure what happened there."

"Delayed reaction to a stressful event," Qrow replied. Clover looked at him.

"Happened to me, a long time ago. After the first significant Grimm attack I'd experienced. At the time, no problem; Grimm despatched, no injuries to the team. Then later—"

Clover put down the glass and wiped his mouth. "I'm so glad you're here," he said simply.

"Me too." Qrow took his hand and pulled him onto the bed. "Do you feel like being cheered up yet, or would you rather not?"

"D'you know, that's a very good idea." Clover started pulling his clothes off.

"Okay, so we're jumping straight in? Fine with me." Qrow followed suit, casting his clothes onto the floor alongside Clover's. They slid under the covers, and Clover pulled Qrow into a hug, pressing himself as close as he could to the other man. Qrow held him tightly, wishing he could fully understand what Clover was feeling.

"You did good," he whispered, running one hand up and down his back. Clover shivered, and Qrow wasn't certain it was _all_ due to his fingers, which were tracing patterns along Clover's spine. He pushed him onto his back. "But you need to think about something else for a bit."

He kissed him gently, circling a hand across his chest. As Clover started to relax Qrow's kisses became more urgent, his hands moving downwards, his mouth following. He felt Clover's fingers combing through his hair as his breathing quickened, and he pushed his body harder against Qrow's mouth. _Okay, he's definitely thinking about something else now._ Qrow slowed his hands down. _Let's keep it that way for a little while longer._

❖

When it was over Qrow pulled himself up the bed to lie against Clover, both men shining with sweat and breathing hard. He kissed the younger man gently, his mouth sticky. Clover touched the side of Qrow's face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Always happy to _blow away_ unpleasant thoughts."

"Qrow, you're... shocking. And I don't even care."

"My mission is complete." Qrow snuggled down, tucking into Clover's armpit. "I like this new concept of dozing during the day."

"Mmm. Not for too long though."

"Okay, copy that. We can get up in a bit..." Qrow's voice dropped to a murmur as he drifted into sleep.

Clover lay with his eyes open for a while, Qrow snoring gently beside him. _I really can't stay here for long, there's so much to do. But this is just so peaceful..._ He managed to set an alarm on his scroll for an hour's time, and relaxed back against Qrow. The sounds coming from the older man were soothing, and he slowly dozed off.

❖

Clover's scroll buzzed, and he so wanted to ignore it, but he knew this wasn't an option. He turned it off and sat up rather groggily, rubbing his face which was still sticky from Qrow's kiss earlier. He allowed himself a smile as he carefully slid out of the bed. _Definitely an improvement on the DIY method._ He went into the small bathroom and managed a quick wash down, before sifting through the heap of clothes on the floor to find his own.

He decided to let Qrow sleep on, and also decided against leaving a note this time. Instead, he cleared a space on the floor—not an easy task as there wasn't much empty floor in Qrow's quarters now—and spelled out 'C U LATR' with several of Qrow's socks. _Shame about the E, but even love doesn't extend to touching the dirty ones_ , he thought, as he pulled on his boots and quietly left the room.

He buzzed Winter to see what was happening. She didn't respond straight away, and he was about to give up, when he heard her voice. "It's Clover, how are you doing?"

"I knew it was you, Ebi. Have you forgotten how scrolls work now?" Her voice sounded tired, thought Clover.

"Uh, sorry, wasn't thinking. I thought I'd call in so we can go through what happens next?"

"Of course. Have you got Branwen with you? You two are stuck together like glue these days." A slight pause. "Are you quite alright?"

Clover was having a minor laughing fit at her choice of words. "N-no, he's not here. Only me."

"Very well. See you in an hour." She cut the call and Clover wondered where his former military-grade precision and correctness had gone. An image floated into his head of Qrow, mildly scoffing, calling him _soldier-boy. Oh yeah, that's where it went._ Pondering how he found it possible to be amused at anything in their current situation, he decided to return to his quarters and have a proper shower.

❖

An hour later he reached Winter's office. He went in immediately, before realising he hadn't knocked.

Winter looked up with a mildly surprised expression on her face.

"Sorry, I should've knocked," Clover said.

"Strictly speaking yes, you should have. However, I won't put you on report for it."

Clover's eyes widened. "Win— I mean Specialist Schnee, oh dammit, Winter. You just made a joke. I think?"

Winter smiled, only a small smile, but it was a start. "I believe I did."

Clover sat down with a sigh. "Things are changing."

"They are. Not _too_ quickly I hope. Gradual change I should be able to cope with."

"Do you want them to, though?"

"We don't have a lot of choice, Ebi. Or should I call you Clover now?"

"Either is fine, just don't bother with _Specialist_."

"I'm getting the impression your heart isn't in the job any more."

"No, that's not the case. It's more that the job now isn't the job I signed up for."

She sighed. "That's true. We still have to handle this like professionals, however."

"So, you've handed over the evidence to the tribunal board, and now we carry on as normal? Patrols, missions, Grimm sweeps?"

"That's right. When they have reviewed the evidence they will interview the General. Then if they think there is a case to answer, they will schedule a hearing and we will be called upon to give testimony, I expect."

"And how long will that all take? When was the first marked date in the list?" Clover had the feeling they were running out of time.

"In eleven days. We have to know what might be happening before that."

"Well, I don't think we can wait until then. If there's an attack planned, we need to start making provision now. We know Mantle is the target, we need to begin evacuations. Gods dammit, this is getting way beyond my area of expertise." Clover wasn't panicking by any means, but he knew they needed to pull in more help. "We should speak to Robyn Hill."

"Robyn Hill?" Winter sounded slightly alarmed and Clover was surprised to see her face colouring faintly. She glanced at him quickly and looked away.

"Well... she has authority, she's well-liked in Mantle, and I suspect she will have some good ideas about how we can organise the citizens, to move them away from areas likely to be most affected. And she's got a team round her. Do you— have a problem with her at all?"

"No, not at all." Winter's reply was brisk and Clover wondered if he'd imagined her reaction earlier.

"Well, I'll leave that with you then." Clover was about to get up, adding, "That's all for now, I think?"

"One moment, Ebi." He sank back into his chair.

She gazed across her office, eyes not focussing on anything in particular. "Why did he do it?" Her voice was unsteady. "I've looked up to him for so long, after my father— the General was a man I could admire." She laughed bitterly. "A psychiatrist would have a field day with me. I tick so many boxes."

"Winter, I feel the same to an extent. He isn't the person we knew when we first signed up. It's not your fault— dammit, it's not my fault either. We were doing what we thought was the right thing, it's all we've ever done... It's him who changed the rules."

She looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know what to do now," she whispered.

Clover hesitated, then rose and went round to her side of the desk. He drew her up and put his arms around her. Instead of pulling back—which wouldn't have surprised him—she slumped against his chest and began to sob. Clover patted the back of her head awkwardly, beginning to wish he'd tried to comfort her in some other way. "We'll do what we've always done— work to serve the people of Mantle and Atlas. We don't need General Ironwood in charge to know that's our job."

She sniffled and gulped a few times. "You're crushing me somewhat."

"Sorry, sorry." Clover almost sprang back from her and knocked his leg on the desk. "You're so much smaller than— oh, sorry, well you know what I mean."

Winter attempted a watery smile. "That's okay, Ebi. It's been a long time since anyone has hugged me like that."

Clover smiled back. "Well maybe one day, who knows? I never thought I'd meet anyone..." His smile widened as he thought of Qrow.

Winter tugged at her jacket to smooth it. "Well then, the board will present a preliminary report in three days. Until then, it's business as usual for you. I will contact Robyn Hill to see how she can help."

"How much will you tell her?"

"As much as I need to. The news of the General's arrest is not a secret, she probably knows about that already."

"Okay then, shall we meet up later on tomorrow to see where we're at?"

"Yes, let's say 14:00? I'll book a meeting room and let you know where to come."

"Do we really need a meeting room?"

"I'd rather keep things— formal, Ebi."

"Fair enough." Clover headed for the door. "Oh, and Winter?" She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "If you ever need to... talk, you know, or anything— just give me a buzz."

She nodded her head. "I will, thank you Ebi."

As he left she turned to her terminal. Searching for _atlas council members contact information_ , she quickly found the number she needed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never knew I was looking for love  
> Never knew how sweet it could be  
> Then love came looking for me  
>  _Love Came Looking For Me - Thea Gilmore_

❖

Clover headed towards his quarters, thinking hard. There was a lot to consider.

He went back to earlier, to the confrontation in the General's office. Except it wasn't a confrontation at all. He'd wanted the General to protest, to shout, to say that he could explain, that there had been a terrible misunderstanding. Instead he had been silent, resigned, and no explanation was forthcoming. Even up until the final moment, Clover had hoped they had got it wrong. There would be another explanation; the General would tell them about some secret manoeuvres and there would be nothing to worry about. He had said nothing, however. Merely tidied his desk and offered his wrists like a penitent waiting for sentence to be handed down.

 _And it will be_ , thought Clover savagely. He was—or should be—the embodiment of a law-abiding protector of the people. In betraying them like this, the impact was so much worse than if it had been the apprehension of some career criminal. General Ironwood had fallen so far, Clover could not see any way back for him.

He reached his quarters and went in. There was a strange smell in the room and an odd noise coming from the kitchen.

"Is that you?" called Qrow. "Actually, it wouldn't be anyone else, thinking about it."

Clover stood at the entrance to the kitchen and looked in amazement at Qrow, who was poking at something in a pan. "I'm making a stir-fry," he said, glancing at Clover before turning his attention back to the hob. "Well, that's what it's supposed to be."

Qrow had never expressed any interest in cooking before. Clover wondered if he was feeling okay.

"Are you alright? You haven't suffered a blow to the head or something?" he asked Qrow in a concerned voice.

"What are you talking about? It's a stir-fry."

"But... how did you know I'd be here? What are _you_ doing here? I left you asleep in your bed..."

"Do you think it's ready?" Qrow ignored Clover's questions and speared a piece of broccoli. "Look, broccoli!" he said proudly.

Clover decided it was too much work to make sense of it all. "It looks like it's nearly there, shall I set the table?"

"Already done. You can put some water out if you like, I'll get this dished up."

Two minutes later they were eating what Clover had to admit was a pretty passable meal. He waited until they'd finished before saying, "Okay, how did you know I would get here when I did? Stir-fry doesn't keep, if I'd been much later it would have spoiled."

"Well, I'd rung the Ice Queen and asked her to let me know when you were on your way. So that was easy."

"But... you don't cook. I mean, I've never seen you cook."

"I _can_ cook. I don't really enjoy it that much, and I know you do, so I've always left it to you. Just thought you might like to not have to bother with it today."

Clover reached a hand across the table. "Qrow, you are the dearest, sweetest man alive. After all the rubbish that's happened, being with you gives me hope."

"Gods, no pressure then." Qrow smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"No, no. I don't want you to feel pressured. Just carry on being you, that's all."

"Even I should be able to manage that. Oh, and top marks for ingenuity with the message you left for me."

"I didn't want to go through your drawers again. Once was enough."

"Although I didn't appreciate having to sort all my socks out. Well, I haven't actually done it yet. But I will," he added hastily, as Clover frowned at him.

"I suppose I should do it, as I was the one who messed them up."

"That's fine by me. Although I wondered if I could stay over tonight, as I'm here already?"

"Of course you can. You know if I had my way—" Clover broke off.

"Maybe one day. If you're lucky."

Clover groaned. "Are we still doing the luck jokes?"

"Not sure you can ever escape them, Ebi. They're the albatross round your neck. And anyway, I'm pretty sure you started it."

"Hmm, okay then. How about we clear these dishes? And that was nice, thank you." He took the plates to the sink and turned around to face Qrow, giving him a hug. "No, it was _very_ nice," he reiterated.

"Don't get used to it," Qrow warned him. "This was a strictly one-off event. Well, maybe not one-off, but it won't happen very often. Just when you least expect it."

"You like to keep me on my toes, don't you?"

"With everything else in your life so ordered and predictable at the moment, why not?" Qrow grinned wickedly.

"You are evil personified, Branwen. How did I ever get myself into this?"

"Well, as I recall you started it by putting me in handcuffs when we first met. After that, this was inevitable."

"How many times, _that was a mistake_. I didn't know—"

"I know," said Qrow, placating. "We all make mistakes. Especially me."

Clover put a hand under Qrow's chin, tilting his head very slightly. "Am I a mistake? For you?"

"That's a leading question, you sure you want a reply?"

"Remember what we said about facetious answers?"

Qrow had the grace to look sorry. "Yeah, I do. I do now. Serious answer, at this moment, no you're not. I was pretty messed up before and could easily have slipped back into it, but being with you has helped me stay sane. Helped me to be happy even. I never expected to find that in Atlas."

" _At this moment_? Do you think it will be a mistake in the long run, then?" Clover tried hard not to sound needy.

"Who knows?" Qrow sounded almost flippant. "I mean, I guess I'm not one to look too far ahead. When I've done that in the past, it's been a disappointment when I get there. Now, though—"

Clover waited. He found he was holding his breath, as though Qrow was about to say something significant.

"When I look forward to a future with you in it—like the other day when we were talking about a family—I... I like what I see, and I'm scared if I want it too much, that will screw it up somehow."

Clover swallowed hard. "I don't want to screw it up for you," he said softly.

"Hah, if anyone screws up it'll be me. Misfortune, remember?"

Clover was about to tell him off for dragging that into it, then changed his mind as a thought edged into his head. "Yeah, but think about this: if you bring bad luck, then it's bad luck on me that we're together. So you are my nemesis, right? Everyone has a nemesis. And... it's bad luck on you because you'll be stuck with me banging on about the toilet seat until you die."

Qrow looked like he wasn't convinced by Clover's logic.

"But at the same time, I bring good luck. For me and you. In this case, bad luck equals good luck, and I think I've just broken a fundamental law of the universe. Damn, that was going so well too."

"You know, maybe you've got something there. If I had to imagine a nightmare, it would probably be some perfectionist soldier type forever shouting at me for being untidy. And your nightmare would be living with some old git who turned your place into a trash heap. So yeah... I think you're right!" Qrow ended triumphantly.

Clover pulled Qrow close and spun round with him. Qrow knocked the pan handle sticking out from the hob as he twirled round, bringing it crashing to the floor. They both stopped and looked down at it. "You know what? I don't even care," Clover said happily.

❖

When Clover entered the briefing room the following morning, the buzz of conversation died away, and he was accosted by many pairs of eyes— some angry, some puzzled. As he went to the screen and pulled up the mission list, it started.

"What's happening?"

"I always knew there was something dodgy about him."

"Surely there's some mistake, the General would never—"

"What does it all mean?"

"Well we always knew there was something going on it was just a matter of time and at least we can do something about it now."

_Ruby. Always gets to the heart of the matter._

Clover raised his hands in a quietening gesture.

"Right then, before we get onto today's missions there are a few things you need to know."

The room settled as everyone gave him their full attention. Qrow sat at the back with his arms folded. The kids had clamoured for information from him yesterday but he'd resisted, saying it was a military matter, and they'd find everything out in the morning.

Clover cleared his throat. "I can't go into the details, because much of the information is subject to a secrecy order because of the ongoing investigation. What I can say is this." He took a deep breath and continued.

"General Ironwood has been arrested on suspicion of treasonous activity which threatens the livelihood of the citizens of Atlas and Mantle."

The hubbub threatened to resume, subsiding as Clover raised his hand again. "Evidence came to light which suggested with little doubt that this was the case. This evidence has been passed to the appropriate personnel who are interviewing the General to establish the truth of it. We should know more in a couple of days. Now if there are any questions, I'll answer them if I can."

Ren raised a hand. "How long has this been going on?"

"It's not clear, but several months at least."

"When you say _threatens the livelihood_ , what does that actually mean?" Harriet asked.

Clover paused before answering. "We think there is a plan to attack Mantle."

"What!" Several voices spoke in unison, and Yang jumped to her feet. "We should be doing something then!"

"I know Yang, I know," Clover said. "Winter is talking to people to initiate evacuation measures."

"We can't just rush down there without any plan," Qrow said suddenly. "It would be chaos, Yang. When there's something we can do, we'll be on it straight away. Yeah?" he looked at Clover, who nodded.

"That's right. For the moment, although it might seem odd, we have to carry out the usual missions and patrols. Everyone should be extra watchful for any unusual activity, and report back anything suspicious immediately."

There was some muttering, but Clover was able to continue and assign the missions without further debate. After the teams had dispersed, with a few backwards glances towards Clover and Qrow who remained in the room, Clover heaved a sigh.

"Well, that could have been worse."

"Can't blame them for reacting like they did. This is big news after all, never mind the implications. And I don't think they all appreciate the ramifications of what you said, not by a long way."

"No, that's going to hit home in the next few days, I'd imagine."

"You don't want me to go down to Mantle today? Yang's not the only one who feels like they should be doing something. Harbinger's getting itchy for some action."

"There'll be time for that, I promise you. No, we need to see Winter."

"How has she taken the news? The arrest stuff I mean?"

"Well, you know, she doesn't say much. Well, not usually anyway. When I saw her yesterday she was quite upset. Feeling let down, betrayed. I know how she feels," he said bitterly.

"She'll be fine," said Qrow dismissively. "The Ice Queen takes a lot of thawing."

Clover looked at him, a frown on his face. "Qrow, she was really upset. I mean actual tears. You're not being kind here."

"We've never seen eye to eye before, should I be starting now?" Qrow's voice was terse.

"What is it with you? Winter's not so bad when you get behind that wall she puts around herself. Like someone else I know," the latter remark added almost to himself.

"Oh, got behind her walls, did you? How nice that must have been for you both." Qrow didn't know why he was saying these things. Clover looked both hurt and cross.

"I don't understand what you're getting at. I comforted her— well, I tried; and I think I managed it, that's all. This has affected her badly."

Qrow's next spiteful comment nearly made it into the light of day. He managed to suppress it, saying, "Gods, I don't know. I think I might be jealous."

Clover looked at him, flabbergasted. "You _are_ joking, right? I mean apart from the fact I'm pretty sure she's into women—well, one woman anyway—I love _you_ , you stupid bastard."

Qrow had the decency to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, I've never felt like this before. I don't hate Winter or anything, don't even really dislike her. We've just never hit it off."

Clover walked to the rear of the room and sat on the table next to Qrow. "You know, you don't have to get on with everyone you meet. But it does no harm to be civil."

Qrow eyed him narrowly. "You saying I'm rude?"

Clover laughed. "Qrow, _everyone_ would say you're rude. People that know you, they get that it's how you are, that you don't necessarily mean it."

"I do sometimes," said Qrow grumpily.

"Yeah, maybe you do. I'm not sure Winter deserves it, that's all."

"It's just— you talking about her in that _chummy_ way, it got to me for some reason."

"Okay, maybe I should be flattered if you're jealous. But it's _Winter_. She's female, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Well maybe you're bi for all I know. People are. I am."

Clover looked at him in mild astonishment. "Oh, I didn't know that."

"No reason why you should, I guess. I haven't regaled you with details of all my past conquests, have I? I could do it now if you've got a spare thirty seconds."

"You don't need to, Qrow. It doesn't matter to me what you've done in the past. Well, obviously, if you'd killed someone I might have to think twice."

"I've never killed anyone as far as I know." Clover looked bemused. "Well, I could _bad luck_ someone off a cliff I guess."

"That'd be manslaughter," said Clover knowledgeably.

"Oh well, that's okay then. So, you don't think you're bi?"

The sudden switch from possible murder back to his sexuality threw Clover for a moment. _Just another typical Branwen conversation._ "No, I'm sure. Well as sure as you can be. I've never met a girl or woman I was remotely attracted to. It's only ever been guys."

"So Winter's safe then?"

"She's perfectly safe around me. And anyway, how can you think I'd be chasing after someone else, whoever they were, after all the things we've done, and said to each other these past weeks? I mean, I don't want to labour the point, but I adore you, Qrow."

Qrow turned pink and rubbed the nape of his neck. "I love you too, Ebi. More than love. I— I can't imagine life without you now."

"Well, there we are then. Come here, you daft idiot." Qrow stood up and Clover hugged him tightly. "Why do we keep having these conversations in this room? It's going to get us into trouble one day."

"I'll be all right. I'm sleeping with the boss, so there'll be no disciplinary action for me."

"Well, lucky you."

Qrow groaned. "Not _again,_ " he said despairingly.

❖

Winter had notified Clover of the location for their meeting. He'd checked that she was happy for Qrow to attend, and she'd concurred somewhat abstractedly. Clover had hesitated, unsure whether to ask how she was, but had decided against it. _I don't want her to think I'm watching her every move now._

They arrived just before 2 o'clock, joining Winter in the small room which held a table and six chairs. "Expecting anyone apart from Robyn?" asked Clover.

"No, just her. Hello Bran— Qrow."

Qrow pretended he hadn't heard her correct herself. _Right, I can be civil too._ "Hi Winter, you okay?"

"Define _okay_ ," she replied with a tight smile.

"It's all relative at the moment I guess." Qrow was quite pleased with himself. _We're having a polite conversation!_

There was the sound of footsteps in the corridor, and Robyn entered. She closed the door behind her and sat down at the table, pushing her pale hair away from her face. "So, who's in charge and what exactly is going on?"

 _Well_ , Qrow thought, _if we wanted someone to get things moving it looks like she just arrived._

"Uh, I'd say it's probably Winter." Winter looked at Clover with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Is that so?" Robyn considered Winter, her head tilted to one side. "Not sure we've been properly introduced?"

Clover did the honours. "Robyn Hill, this is Specialist Winter Schnee. Winter, this is Robyn Hill. Obviously. I just said that." He blushed faintly and looked helplessly at Qrow. "What am I saying?" he mouthed silently at him. Qrow tried almost successfully to suppress a snort.

Robyn eyed them with disdain. "Do you two need to stay? I'm sure Winter and I can manage without you, if you have somewhere you need to be."

"No, no," said Winter quickly. "It makes sense for them to be here, if not I'd have to relay any decisions we make anyway. This will be more efficient." She looked more sure of herself and smiled at Robyn.

"Okay, fine then, so tell me everything I need to know."

Winter outlined the findings without going into too much detail.

"So, the General has committed treason—"

"He hasn't been found guilty; there hasn't even been a hearing yet. But off the record, it looks like it, yes." Clover wanted to keep to the facts.

"And you want me and my team to organise the evacuation effort?"

"That's about the sum of it, yes. Do you think that's something you can handle?" As soon as he'd said it, Clover wished he'd chosen his words more with more care.

"Listen Ebi, dealing with the repressed people of Mantle is something I've been doing for years. Often because of situations brought about by you damned military—"

"Please, Robyn." Winter didn't want them to start butting heads. "Clover knows the military isn't perfect. We're all starting to realise that."

Qrow added, "Some of us knew a long time ago." Winter gave him a stern look.

"Maybe, but that's not relevant at the moment, Bran— Qrow. We need to assess what needs to be done now, and decide which personnel are best placed to do it."

"I like you, Winter. You talk sense," Robyn said approvingly. "Now then."

She went on to outline her proposed scheme. "There are many vacated buildings from various exhausted Dust mines. Some are in a poor state but many are sound, and could be used to house evacuees for the short to medium term. What I don't know offhand is what the total occupancy might be."

"We can request the information on all these premises from the SDC," said Winter. "Clover, can you organise teams to visit each location and report on its size and state of readiness for occupancy? Then we can get them prepared."

"Yes, that's no problem. I'll organise the teams and as soon as we have your information, we can get to it." He looked at Qrow, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll speak to Schnee Dust as soon as we're finished here. Robyn, would it be possible for your people to start making the citizens aware of the upcoming plans? We need to focus on the most vulnerable first. My main concern is to avoid starting a panic."

"Of course, that wouldn't help us at all. But I won't lie to them. They've had enough of that kind of treatment."

 _Why is she looking at me_? thought Clover. _Are we the absolute bad guys in all this_? It wasn't a comfortable thought.

"We need to meet again and report progress. Shall we say in three days' time, first thing? I'll book this room again if I can, for 8:00. I'll let you know if that changes."

Robyn stood up. "I've got your number now Winter, if I need any further info I'll be in touch. I know this is a bad situation, but I think we can work well together." She stretched out her hand, and when Winter took it, she found the other woman’s grasp to be firm and assured. Just for a moment they looked at each other, then Winter released Robyn's hand, saying, "I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting." Her face coloured slightly as Robyn smiled, turning on her heel and walking briskly from the room.

Qrow looked at Winter in surprise, then glanced at Clover, who shrugged his shoulders. As she sat back down again, Clover said, "Has there been any word from the tribunal board yet?"

"We should see their preliminary report the day after tomorrow. That works out quite well, as we can discuss it at our meeting the day after that, if we need to."

"I'm sure there'll be plenty to discuss," Qrow put in. "In the meantime, Clover and I will think about how best to assess these mining premises and assign some teams. Once we have the locations we can get straight on it."

"Winter?" Clover said suddenly. She raised one eyebrow in enquiry. "Have you seen the General at all? Do you know what— has anyone said anything about what he's been saying? Anything at all?"

"I haven't seen him. And no, no-one has said anything about it. Not to me, anyway."

"Oh well, I guess we'll hear something soon enough. Do you get the report? How will it be made available?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I will let you know as soon as I hear anything. And if you hear—"

"I'll be sure to tell you at once. Okay Qrow, we should head off."

Qrow stood up, knocking his chair over as he did so. "Sorry."

"Don't worry Qrow, you can't help it." Winter sounded almost kindly; Qrow was finding it a bit unsettling.

"Uh, thanks," he said. It was the best he had to offer.

"Speak to you later, Winter." Clover stood up, and he and Qrow left the room.

After a few minutes, Winter rose to leave. She was interrupted by an alert from her scroll, and paused to read it, tapping out a quick message before continuing. Her face wore a thoughtful look and she walked a little taller than she had of late.

❖

As the two men walked along the corridor, Clover felt his scroll buzz. He paused, glancing at it and frowning. Qrow had gone on a few more steps; he now turned back. "Problem?"

"Not really. Let's just step in here a moment."

They were passing the briefing room, so they went inside, and Clover shut the door behind him. Qrow was curious.

"It's okay," he replied to Qrow's quizzical look. "Didn't want anyone overhearing, just in case." Pocketing the scroll, he said, "Winter has been called to speak to the tribunal board in an hour's time. It's very likely they'll want to speak to me too, then or afterwards."

"So we haven't got time now to think about those SDC missions?"

"Not really. I'll hang on here and get a bit of work done, but you might want to do something else?"

"I'll head down to Mantle and see what the others are up to. Might be some Grimm to tackle." Qrow patted Harbinger hopefully.

Clover glanced at the door, then took Qrow's hand and led him to the corner of the room, where a casual glance through the door would not reach.

"What—?"

"Didn't want to be disturbed for a moment."

"Okay..."

"Don't look so concerned. I just didn't want to be in full view from the door."

"Fair enough, but what— should I be worried?"

"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to say something and I wanted to do it now." Clover gazed across the room, his brow creasing. "I don't say it enough, and with all this stuff about to kick off..." He hesitated, before looking at Qrow with a blush rising on his face. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you very, very much."

Qrow's momentary look of surprise was replaced with a wide smile as he stepped towards Clover and took his hands, holding them against his chest. "Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. You know the feeling's mutual, don't you?"

Clover smiled as he pulled one of his hands free and gently touched the side of Qrow's face. He stroked down the line of his jaw and across, lightly brushing his mouth with one fingertip.

"Qrow, at the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, being close to you gives me so many inappropriate thoughts."

Qrow smiled, taking Clover's hand and lightly biting his finger. "You're not being very professional here, Specialist." He kissed Clover hard on the mouth.

"We really shouldn't—" Clover broke the kiss to whisper against Qrow's cheek.

"You're right, of course. Dammit." Qrow rested his forehead against Clover's, cupping the younger man's face gently. "It's just— sometimes being close to you, I can't— I mean, I _should_ be able to control myself at my age, but you... you're so _alluring_."

"Gods, Qrow, the things you say. No-one's ever called me that before. But... it's the same with you. I feel like I've got years to catch up on. But we can't keep on— I mean the world could be ending and we're about to shag at work like a couple of horny teenagers."

"Were we? Didn't realise it was about to go that far."

"Sometimes it seems like anything is possible, and— I wouldn't care. It's... almost scary, that feeling of not quite being in control."

"That's how I felt that other time," said Qrow slowly, "when I— went off, you know."

"I'll never forget," Clover said. "And yeah, it's a— disturbing feeling. Especially when we're at work. But the fact is, I love you more than I thought was possible, and I'm going to keep on saying it. Especially with the way things are at the moment. You've brought me more pleasure in these last few weeks than I could have imagined."

Qrow smiled. "I suspect we won't be able to keep up this pace. I'm not sure my body could take it, to be honest."

"Poor old guy," said Clover sympathetically, as his scroll buzzed. "Uh, back to reality. Looks like Winter was right— they want to see me in an hour's time."

Qrow squeezed his hand as they walked to the door. "Good luck."

"You too. Perhaps we can catch up later?"

"I'll give you a buzz." Qrow kissed Clover's cheek quickly as he opened the door, and the two men went their separate ways.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break with the past  
> Set the nexus free at last  
> As the future will be there to save us  
>  _The Nexus - Amaranthe_

❖

Qrow had a satisfying afternoon in Mantle, visiting several sites where Grimm of various kinds seemed intent on causing as much havoc as possible. Elm, Marrow, and Jaune had cornered a large Ursa in a narrow alleyway and were having a little trouble finishing it off. Qrow was only too glad to put Harbinger to use, and with a few well-placed slashes of the scythe, despatched the Grimm in a flurry of darkness.

He continued across the city and caught up with Ruby, Weiss, and Harriet, who had just dealt with a pack of Beowolves which had made their way into a rather rundown supermarket. Despite its shabby appearance and depleted shelves, it was still open for business. The few shoppers who had been inside were cowering at the back behind some shelving; they now came out cautiously and thanked the Hunters for their timely intervention.

"Great timing Uncle Qrow we just finished them off." Ruby closed up Crescent Rose as she ran up to him. He tousled her hair in greeting.

"Doesn't look like you need me kiddo, you're all doing just fine yourselves."

Weiss looked up from her scroll. "There are more of these tiresome Beowolves not far from here. It's near a school, and the children will be coming out soon. Can you help us Qrow, please?"

"With pleasure, lead the way." Qrow shouldered Harbinger and followed the youngsters from the store. _I really shouldn't still think of them as_ youngsters, _they're so much more than that now_.

When they reached the school he decided to hang back and let the others take the lead. This they did to great effect, dealing with the Grimm in record time. Qrow was impressed with how well they worked together, combining in various ways to enhance their attacks. He made a mental note to tell Clover how Harriet seemed to have slotted into the existing pairing of Ruby and Weiss very effectively.

After the school situation had been dealt with Qrow checked in with Yang, and when she confirmed there were no further Grimm sightings for now, he decided to survey the perimeter wall before returning to Atlas. He assumed his crow form and flew swiftly away from the city centre towards the outskirts, wings beating steadily, occasionally picking up a thermal which enabled him to rest his wings and glide. The barricades seemed to be intact, and he was on the point of returning to catch the transport back to Atlas, when something caught his eye. An irregularity in the defences suggested something could be amiss, so he flew closer and transformed back to get a better look.

An area of wall had been rebuilt with makeshift blocks, but it was clear the replacements had not been cemented into place, only stacked one upon the other. From a distance it looked secure; from close quarters it was evident that a strong push would bring the whole thing down. Qrow couldn't understand why this had been done, so he made a note of the location and also took some photos. The afternoon was now darkening into early evening, and with a final look around, Qrow headed for the Atlas transport.

❖

Qrow had showered and changed, and felt almost lively as he called Clover. After a short moment the call was answered.

"How are you doing? Fancy meeting up? I'd like to hear how you got on this afternoon."

"That would be good, d'you feel like coming over? I was just looking at a pizza," Clover replied.

"Hmm, is it the kind of pizza that works best when there are two people to eat it?"

"That exact kind. I think I might even have some ice-cream too."

"Oh well, that clinches it. See you in a few minutes." Qrow jumped up and headed out the door, a spring in his step. He caught himself humming and laughed out loud. _This is the oddest sensation, not sure I can cope._

He was at Clover's within minutes and entered the code, almost skipping through the doorway. Clover was in the kitchen putting the pizza in the oven.

"Honey, I'm home."

Clover shut the oven door and turned round, a look of mild astonishment on his face. "What's happened? Are you feeling okay?"

Qrow put his hands on Clover's shoulders and kissed him firmly. "I'm happy," he replied.

"How does that feel? Do you like it?"

"It's the best, can't think why I didn't try it before."

"It suits you. Although you need to be careful, if your body isn't used to it there could be consequences."

Qrow regarded him for a moment. "Sometimes I'm not sure whether you're joking or not."

"Safe to say I was that time." Clover grinned at Qrow, happy to see him in a lighter mood.

"I'm worried, Ebi. I started humming just now. It's not natural."

"Careful Qrow, if you change character drastically you won't be the man I fell in love with."

Qrow's face fell, and he regarded Clover anxiously. "Could that happen, d'you think?"

Clover kissed his forehead. "Highly unlikely. There's no way you could keep this up for too long."

"No, you're right, I actually feel a bit tired now. How's that pizza doing?"

"It should be ready in a few minutes. Can you sort the table out?"

As they sat down Qrow asked, "So how did your meeting go? And Winter's?"

Clover sat back in his chair. "To be honest, there wasn't a lot I could tell them, that they hadn't already got from her. I mean, all the stuff to do with the files was down to her and Penny... they asked me about the General's behaviour, how it had altered, whether I was aware of anything specific he'd done, anything suspicious... I guess I confirmed Winter's observations regarding changes in his conduct. It's funny, I hadn't appreciated how many little things I'd noticed, until I had to spell it all out for them."

"You don't always, until you have to tell someone else. That makes you focus."

"And how was your afternoon in Mantle?"

"Pretty standard. It was encouraging to see how well the teams are integrating— Harriet was working well with Ruby and Weiss. I pretty much let them get on with it. But there was one odd thing, though." Clover looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

Qrow pulled out his scroll and found the photos he'd taken. "This hasn't been rebuilt properly. I know a lot of the repairs have been a bit rough and ready, but this... these blocks aren't cemented together, just stacked here."

Clover looked at the pictures, frowning. "This work would have been carried out by one of our engineering details. They've left it deliberately weak." He scratched his chin. "This adds another layer to the whole Ironwood case. If he's got military personnel doing his dirty work too—" His face was bleak. "Can you send these to Winter? Give her the location info as well."

Qrow did so, and put his scroll down with a sigh. "I knew there was a reason why being happy wasn't worth it. Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood and his bastard plan just keep getting in the way."

Clover stood up, moving behind Qrow's chair and starting to rub his shoulders. "The thing is, though, there will always be bad stuff happening somewhere. Big bad stuff like this, and small bad stuff like— your dog just died. But you can't just... banish happiness from your life. You can't ignore the bad stuff, but it's okay to make the most of what pleasure there is."

Qrow reached up and held Clover's hands in his. "You make such _sense_ ," he said. "Although, I feel pretty sad about the dog now."

"Daft idiot," said Clover fondly, ruffling his hair. "Do you still want ice-cream?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Qrow kissed Clover's hand and held it against his cheek. "So long as there's ice-cream, things can't be all bad."

When as much ice-cream as possible had been eaten, Qrow volunteered to wash the dishes. "Sit down and put your feet up, this won't take me long."

"Don't do a half-arsed job," said Clover. "I wouldn't want to have to make you do it all again."

"You're such a slave-driver," Qrow grumbled. "By the time I've finished, these dishes will be so clean you could eat your dinner off them."

"Uh, that's kind of the whole point?" Clover didn't get Qrow sometimes. _But that doesn't matter._ He picked up his book in the hope he'd finally be able to finish it, and stretched out on the sofa with a contented sigh. He could hear Qrow humming in the kitchen, and smiled to himself. _We're the picture of domesticity,_ he thought. _There's something to be said for the small joys of life._ He found his place in the book and began reading.

Qrow came through when he'd finished and stood looking at Clover as he read. The younger man didn't notice Qrow's scrutiny, as he was getting close to the end of the book and was oblivious to his surroundings. An involuntary smile spread across Qrow's face, and after a few moments Clover looked up. "Everything okay?"

"Just dandy. Make some room." Clover moved his feet so Qrow could sit down, wiggling his toes underneath Qrow's butt as he got comfortable again. He went back to his book as Qrow took out his scroll and plugged his EarPods into his ears. He flicked through his games until he found what he was looking for. He'd recently downloaded RoostSim but hadn't had a chance to play it yet. Although he enjoyed the action games he played with the kids sometimes, he fancied something a bit more tranquil right now.

As he worked through the tutorial he caught himself smiling again. The Qrow of six months ago would have found a very different way to pass his free time. Right now, scouting for ideal nest locations and gathering building materials for his roosts suited him fine.

Clover finished his book and sat up, peering at Qrow's scroll. "You can get games that let you play as a bird?"

Qrow tapped the screen to pause the game and looked at him. "What, you think it's silly?" he said, his tone defensive.

"Of course not! I just know nothing about video games."

"Yeah, I think we proved that the other day." Qrow smiled at the memory, a warmth spreading through him, and suddenly found he wasn't sitting quite as comfortably as before. "Uh, I just want to get through the tutorial, then maybe— we could do some nesting of our own? Oh gods, did I actually just say that?"

Clover considered him. "You did, you adorable man. Maybe you could show me how to play this game sometime?"

"Always glad to bestow upon you the richness of my knowledge," said Qrow kindly. "Now, hush up and let me finish."

Clover cwtched up to him and watched as the birds gathered different materials and began to construct their nests. After a short while the tutorial finished and Qrow turned his scroll off.

"Qrow," began Clover, looking down at his hands as the fingers twisted together. "Do you like to talk about how things are when you're a bird? Or is it— a private thing?"

"Hmm. Never really talked about it much." Qrow looked thoughtful. "It's... complicated. I mean, I'm still me, but it's like there's another layer. No, more like a filter. So I'm aware of everything and I can remember stuff, but it all seems a bit different." He squinted sideways at Clover. "Now I'm trying to put it into words, I realise how crazy it is. But— it's part of who I am now. I just hope it doesn't end up like one of those stories where I become more and more like a bird, and less and less human, until one day you wake up and there's a man-sized bird lying next to you in bed. Oh gods, I'm freaking myself out now."

Clover tried to banish that image from his mind. "I'm pretty sure that won't happen, Qrow. And if it did, I would still love you." He hugged Qrow, adding, "Although we might have to re-evaluate certain areas of our relationship."

"Okay that's just... not right. Can we please forget I ever said that?"

Clover laughed. "With pleasure. Although maybe if you're worried, there's someone you could ask? It might reassure you."

"Yeah, maybe... in the meantime—" He turned towards Clover and kissed him softly. "Would you like to go to bed?"

"I would." Clover stood up and pulled Qrow to his feet. Drawing him close he said, grinning, "Feels like you're ahead of me here."

Qrow pressed himself closer. "I have a feeling you'll soon catch up."

❖

Qrow opened his eyes to darkness. He lay still, trying to work out what had woken him. There was no sound other than Clover's quiet breathing behind him; no noise from outside entered through the narrow gap where the window was slightly ajar.

_Strange, how everything is so peaceful when all hell will probably be breaking loose any day now._ Qrow found it hard to marry the two concepts together. He still couldn't tell what had woken him, so decided it couldn't have been anything important. He rolled over to face Clover, who had turned in his sleep and was now facing towards the far side of the bed. Qrow nestled against his back and snaked an arm around his waist. The other man muttered and took Qrow's hand in his own, becoming quiet as he returned to deep sleep.

Qrow smiled into Clover's back. _Whatever's coming for us, I'm glad we're going to face it together._ He yawned, closing his eyes as he drifted back to sleep.

❖

The blackness was complete. Qrow opened his eyes as wide as he could, but it made no difference. He could sense nothing underneath him, suspended in darkness and silence. A chill breeze moved across his face as he looked, or tried to look, about him. There was nothing to be heard or seen.

Qrow realised this made no sense. _I'm dreaming._ He tried to slow down his breathing, hoping to fall into a deeper sleep state where no dream could follow.

He did not succeed. The darkness enveloped his body, entered his mind, slowed down his thoughts. He was slowly drowning in his dream, but offered no response.

Touch. He could feel something in the inky dark. A warmth against his hand, a slight contact, which became a strong grip pulling him back from the depths. He felt himself rushing upwards, the light against his eyelids bright after the earlier blackness.

He breached the surface with a gasp, the light and the sound of the dark waves almost too much for his senses. He gripped the warmth tighter in his hand. Whatever happened, whilst he held that contact, all would be well.

❖

Clover woke in the early light, looking at the alarm and realising he'd beaten it again. Qrow was still sound asleep, holding tightly to Clover's right hand. _I mustn't drift off again_. He loosened Qrow's hand and turned to face him, sliding his arm under Qrow's body and drawing him into a gentle hug.

He allowed himself a few minutes of absolute contentment, relishing the quiet moment when all that existed was himself and Qrow, a circle of warmth independent of any external forces. Then, with a small sigh, he extricated his arm and edged carefully from the bed. Qrow wriggled a little further down until only the top of his head was visible. Clover smiled at the untidy spikes of dark hair on the pillow, drawing the covers back a little so Qrow didn't get too hot. He cancelled the alarm before treading softly from the bedroom to the bathroom.

He was about to step under the shower, when the door was pushed open and Qrow appeared, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Where did you go? It's too early," he grumbled as he headed for the shower.

"Uh, we doing this together this morning?" Clover wasn't averse to the idea, but he knew the shower cubicle wasn't that roomy.

"Just a quick one, I missed you in the bed." Qrow's eyes were barely open. "I'm having trouble getting going this morning."

"A bit like every other morning then," Clover laughed, as Qrow squeezed in and slid the door shut. "I woke up a bit early; just thought I'd get a head start in the bathroom."

"Here, let me soap your back," Qrow offered, lathering up his hands. Clover turned away, allowing Qrow's hands to move up and down, now across his shoulders, now down to his butt, now around his waist, now across his chest. He moaned softly as Qrow moved closer, pressing himself against Clover's back.

"Okay, you win." Clover turned around to face the older man, pulling him close. The warm water coursed down their faces as their mouths met, Clover pushing Qrow's wet fringe away from his forehead with one hand whilst his other trailed a slow line down Qrow's back. "You know, you're doing a pretty good job at keeping up the pace— for an old guy," he murmured against Qrow's cheek.

Qrow's response was to trace a hand across Clover's chest, pinching a nipple as he kissed him hard on the mouth. "You were saying?"

"Ouch, okay, I take that back." His hand moved around Qrow's waist, his fingers stroking lower beyond his navel. "Now then..."

  


"Good to know we can both fit in the shower if we need to," Clover observed as they were drying off a little later. Qrow glanced at him with a smile.

"Not sure _need_ is the word. _Want_ , more like."

Clover dropped his towel on the floor and pulled Qrow into a hug. "But I do need you." His voice was husky against Qrow's damp hair. "You're keeping me sane with all this mad nonsense that's going on."

"Glad to help. Just call on me any time."

"You can count on it. I—" Clover broke off as his scroll buzzed. He walked out to the bedroom and picked it up, frowning at the message before returning it to the nightstand. Qrow looked over at him, eyebrows raised.

"That was Winter. She's got the info on the mining premises we need to investigate. I have to look at the locations and assign teams to check the areas out, so I won't have time to come to breakfast this morning."

"How long will that take, d'you think? Do you want to delay the morning briefing to allow yourself time to sort things out?"

"Yes, can you let the teams know? I should be done by about eight-thirty."

Qrow had finished pulling on his clothes. He went into the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "I'll make you a coffee before I go down." Clover's eyes followed him, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. _I never truly knew the meaning of luck before._ He shook his head slightly as he finished dressing, before going back into the bathroom to comb his hair. By the time he'd finished, Qrow had placed a cup of coffee on his desk and was pulling his boots on. "I'll bring you something back for breakfast."

Clover took Qrow's hand and kissed the fingers. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't thank me too soon, you don't know what I'm going to bring you yet."

"Daft bugger. You know what I mean."

Qrow kissed him on the nose. "I do." He grabbed his scroll from the table. "See you soon, soldier-boy." He saluted lazily towards Clover and headed out to breakfast.

Clover sat down at his desk, unable to keep the smile from his face. _It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine_.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here in my arms, reflections of my face  
> For you I'd make the world a better place  
> Build a kingdom with four walls  
> I will keep you safe from harm  
>  _The Deviant Hearts - Phantasma_

❖

The three trucks set off in different directions across the tundra. Clover was with Elm, Nora, and Ren. Qrow took Marrow, Jaune, and Harriet. Team RWBY made up the third party. Vine had drawn the short straw and was back at the base, collating information as it was sent in.

There were many old Dust mine workings which had been exhausted over a period of years. They were scattered across the landscape, empty and in some cases derelict and unsafe. Winter had drawn up a long list for the teams to work through, and Clover expected it would take the three teams at least a full day to inspect them all.

The first two they encountered were almost completely destroyed. The mine entrances had collapsed, and the surrounding buildings were dilapidated. Clover sighed as they headed away from the ruins. "I hope the third location on our list is in better shape. Those first two won't help us at all." He radioed their findings back to Vine, and tried to check in with Qrow. There was no response, but Clover wasn't concerned. Communications out on the tundra could be patchy at the best of times.

Ren studied the list on his scroll. "We may be more fortunate with the next location. According to this information, it was decommissioned only eight months ago."

"Thanks, Ren. Let's hope so." Clover bit his lip, frowning as he looked across the bleak landscape. Qrow's voice drifted into his head. _We're all depending on you, Specialist Ebi._ Clover felt a weight settle across his shoulders, and sat taller with a small grunt. _All of Mantle is depending on us. I only hope we can deliver._

Ren's optimism proved to be justified. The third location was in much better shape than the others had been. The mine entrance had been boarded up, but presented no difficulty for Elm and Nora. Once the dust had cleared Clover entered cautiously, Ren at his shoulder. The silence from the tunnels was complete; no signs of Grimm presence either now or in the past.

"This looks promising. Ren and I will go in further, you two reccy the buildings."

Elm flicked him a smile and a casual salute, turning away with Nora towards the nearest structure. The two men proceeded further into the mine workings, torches strobing the walls as they trod carefully. "How far in should we go?" Ren glanced across at Clover.

"Difficult to say... the plans Winter has show the extent of the workings, but we don't have time to assess every square metre. So, far enough to get a feel for the overall state of the place. I'd say it's looking pretty good this far."

Ren's gaze travelled along the walls and across the roof. The supports were in good condition, and there was no evidence of subsidence or roof collapse. "I agree. I'll send details of this mine back to Vine and indicate it's a worthy candidate for habitation."

Clover turned back towards the entrance. "Let's see what the outside buildings are like then." He looked back at Ren. "I'm very impressed with you and the rest of Qrow's group, Ren. You're extremely capable for hunters your age. Very organised and self-sufficient."

"Thank you, Captain. I believe the old adage _necessity is the mother of invention_ would be appropriate."

Clover's laugh echoed about them as he switched off his torch, the light from the mine opening now showing dimly ahead. "I guess that about sums it up. Oh, and I'm perfectly happy with _Clover_ rather than _Captain_ , if you are too."

"Of course, Clover." Ren smiled at him as they emerged into the weak sunshine. They stood for a moment, blinking.

"Clover." Ren's tone was serious. Clover turned and looked at him keenly. "We... don't know each other very well, and I find that makes it easier to talk to you."

"Okay, is there something on your mind?" Clover couldn't imagine where this was heading.

Ren bit his lip, studying the ground before looking up. "How do you know when someone is _the one_?" He held Clover's surprised gaze for a moment before looking away.

"Uh, well." Clover's years of training had not prepared him for this. At all. "Let's see. Maybe you think of the person, and you can't imagine your life without them."

"That might be true of a parent or close family member."

"Fair enough... maybe when you have a thought, or an idea, they are the first person you want to share it with."

"You might have a very close friend who that could apply to."

"Well, yes. Uh, what if thinking of the person makes you feel... oh gods I don't know how to put it. Fluttery inside. And warm at the same time. And when they're not there, because you— had an argument or something, you feel empty." Clover fell silent. His thoughts were far away.

"Yes. Thank you, Clover. That was very helpful."

Clover's face reddened as his eyes met Ren's. "Hmm well, I'm glad." He laughed suddenly. "Missions with the Ace Ops don't generally go like this."

"Adapt and survive." Ren's voice was deadpan, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

"COME ON YOU TWO." Nora's voice bounced off the surrounding buildings, breaking the moment. The small smile on Ren's face told Clover everything he needed to know.

❖

"So, what do you reckon?" Yang despatched the final Centinel and turned to face Ruby. Blake and Weiss trotted up to join them.

"About Clover?" Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose and clipped it on her back. She dusted off her hands as she replied, "I think he's just thing for Uncle Qrow, don't you?"

Yang pursed her lips. "I agree with you, but... how much of an Atlas man is he, d'you reckon?"

"He's an Atlas man, certainly. But in a good way." Weiss flicked her hair over her shoulder. "At first I believed he was a fairly regulation military drone, only good for following orders. However, his actions over the recent days would suggest otherwise. And Winter trusts him," she added with finality.

"Are you and Winter on better terms now?" Blake asked, as she raised a hand and brushed some debris from Yang's hair.

"We've been messaging each other more lately. She has had a difficult time processing her feelings about the General."

"And what does she have to say about Clover?" Yang still wanted reassurance.

"She said she was surprised at his reaction. She thought he would be more likely to take the General's part. She said he has changed since we arrived."

"That's what I said ages ago and I was right." Ruby looked rather pleased with herself.

"She also said that she thought he was good for Qrow. That he was behaving in a more mature manner. For him."

"Not sure if that's a compliment or a well-disguised insult." Yang had to admit Winter had a point.

"Yes, and I said that too. I'm prophetic." Ruby raised a hand to high-five Weiss.

"Or is that pathetic," laughed Yang, rumpling Ruby's hair with an affectionate look. Ruby glared at her.

"Please be more respectful to your team leader."

"Sorry sir. What are your orders?" Yang grinned at Ruby as Blake muffled her own laugh.

Ruby drew herself up to her full height. "We have a job to do here, team. Now the Grimm are dealt with we need to assess the site."

"Quite right, Ruby. _Some people_ need to realise this is not a day-trip." Weiss looked pointedly at Yang.

"Right, I'll go with Yang to check the mine, if you two can scout round the buildings." Ruby was enjoying her moment of power.

"See you in a bit." Yang touched Blake's cheek with a soft smile, and set off after Ruby. Blake blushed as Weiss said, "Shall we go?"

❖

Qrow and Harriet exited the final building in the row. Harriet pulled the door shut, tugging it closed as the rusted hinges protested with a creak.

"It could have been worse." She caught up with Qrow as he walked ahead with slow steps.

"Yeah, guess so. I've slept in more decrepit places."

Harriet glanced at him, wondering if the stories she'd heard were exaggerated, or even true. Although something about Qrow told her he wasn't one to talk up his experiences.

"Can you let Vine know the state of these premises? I'd say they're habitable, but they'll need a fair bit of cleaning up first." He felt his scroll buzz and pulled it from his pocket. "Hmph, the others have a bit of a... situation in the mine. C'mon Hare." He slipped into crow form and flew off quickly.

After a moment's hesitation Harriet raced after him, reaching the mine entrance only a little behind. She saw the crow glide down, transforming back into Qrow who landed with an effortless grace, which told her he'd done this many times before.

Qrow ran into the mine entrance, almost knocking down Jaune who was running towards him.

"It's Marrow... there was a rock fall... he'd gone on a bit further... I was too slow..." His voice trembled as he tried to catch his breath.

"It's okay kid, slow down. Where is Marrow exactly?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Harriet's voice was sharp.

Jaune straightened up, his breath slowly returning to normal. "He'd gone on a little way ahead of me. We hadn't seen any problems with loose rocks or anything. There was a fall from the roof. I tried... I couldn't get to him. I was too late. Again." His voice trailed off in a whisper.

"He's not—" Harriet ran forward to the pile of rocks.

"Harriet!" A faint voice filtered through the obstruction. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, it is. Hold on Marrow, we'll get you out."

Jaune looked up at Qrow, his eyes glistening.

"It's okay kid, this wasn't your fault. We'll get him out, it'll be fine."

Jaune swallowed hard and nodded. Qrow turned to Harriet. "How is he?"

"He's hurt his leg, it's trapped under some rocks."

Qrow rubbed his chin. "Do you think you could use Fast Knuckles to punch a hole through?"

"Should be able to, but won't that be dangerous on the other side?"

"Hold on." Qrow called to Marrow, "How you doing, kid?"

"My leg hurts and I can't move. Otherwise fine."

"How's your semblance, still up and running?"

"Uh, I think so. Why?"

"We're going to try something. Hare will punch the rocks through to make a hole, d'you think you can freeze them with Stay? So they don't bury you?"

"Uh, I guess? I'll give it a go." Marrow didn't sound too confident.

"That's it kid, I know you can do it. Once the hole is big enough we'll come through and get you out."

Qrow looked at Harriet. "Ready?" She clenched her jaw and nodded.

"Okay Marrow, get ready. Go on, Hare."

The tunnel was filled with noise and dust as Harriet got to work. Within a few moments enough rocks had been cleared for Qrow to scramble through. Marrow's face, shining with sweat, was focussed on the loose rocks which were suspended in the air.

Qrow removed Harbinger from his back and quickly opened the scythe. With two sweeps he had sliced through the suspended rocks and sent them skittering further along the tunnel.

Marrow gasped and sank back against the wall. Qrow quickly pulled away the rubble which held him trapped, and carefully picked him up. The younger man winced sharply as he was handed through the gap in the rock fall to Harriet and Jaune.

"Carry him carefully to the entrance, so we can see what's what."

They laid Marrow on the ground and Harriet wiped his face. "Trust you," she said.

"Marrow, I'm so sorry." Jaune's voice trembled as he laid his hand on the injured leg. Marrow felt a comforting warmth, and the pain in his leg began to fade.

"Don't worry about it, just bad luck I'd gone in front. It could easily have been the other way round." He lifted a hand to Jaune's shoulder. "That's feeling a lot better now, thanks."

"Do you want to try standing on it?" Harriet held out a hand, and with a grunt, Marrow got to his feet. He put his weight gingerly onto his injured leg and took a couple of steps.

"I can barely feel it now. Thanks Jaune." He smiled, his tail wagging gently.

Jaune blushed. "It's the least I could do." He looked down, pulling awkwardly at his collar.

"Okay, let's move on out." Qrow glanced around as they exited the mouth of the mine. "You okay to carry on, or do you want to head back?"

"I'm fine now, thanks to your guy." Another smile, another wag of the tail.

"Right then. Hare, can you update Vine with all this? I reckon this place is a possibility, but the tunnel roof will need a careful assessment. Or maybe we just use the buildings. Anyway, where to next?"

❖

After a wearying day, the three teams gathered for the transport to return to Atlas. Several conversations, all conducted in low voices, continued around them as Qrow and Clover quietly compared notes. The usual adrenaline-fuelled aftermath of a day on the surface was noticeably absent.

"The reality is beginning to hit them." Clover was not too concerned for now. Despite their youth, he knew Qrow's group were mature in other ways. He also had confidence in his own team, and was pleased with how everyone had stuck to their task today. "But they're coping."

"It's starting to hit me, too." Qrow's voice sounded tired. "Can we truly get Mantle emptied in time? Will there be enough room for everyone?"

Clover looked at his worried expression. "I just don't know. We can only do our very best."

The transport arrived, and they boarded quickly, glad to leave the tundra behind and head for warmth and food.

  


As the Hunters dispersed to their quarters, Qrow put his hand on Clover's shoulder. "Shall we all eat together this evening? In the mess hall, I mean. I just feel— I think we should."

"That's a great idea. About 6:30?"

"Sounds good. See you there." He raised his hand to Clover's cheek for the briefest moment, before turning away to follow team RWBY and the others. "Kids, hold on. We have a plan for eating."

❖

The mess hall that evening was noisier than it had been for a while. There was an undercurrent of tension which stayed at a low register, but did not completely disperse. Qrow felt it, and he was sure most of the others did too. But everyone was determined to enjoy the meal, and at a superficial level, normality was maintained.

As they slowly left the mess hall some while later, Clover linked his fingers lightly through Qrow's. "It's been a tiring day, would you rather sleep at your own place tonight? I won't mind." He smiled at the older man.

Qrow stopped walking and turned towards him. "I'd much rather be with you." His voice had an edge to it, which Clover couldn't interpret.

"Qrow, is everything okay? Well I mean, of course it isn't, but with you... with us... are you okay?"

Qrow pulled gently on Clover's hand and they continued along the corridor.

"Before... when I was still drinking— after a day like this, I would have headed straight to the nearest bar. And it would have helped. I mean I'd probably have hated myself the next morning, but... I lived with that. It was worth it, to be able to avoid thinking too much." He gripped Clover's hand tighter. "Now I don't have that option, and I'm not always... I don't always know what I should be doing. To cope."

They walked on in silence. After a short while, Clover said, "You know, that's true for most people now and then. Not knowing how to get through something. That's why we have friends, and family if we're lucky. I'm your friend, Qrow, above everything else. I want to be here if you need a friend."

Qrow lifted Clover's hand to his face, rubbing it against his cheek. "Thank you." His voice was gruff.

"Here we are." They'd reached Clover's quarters by this time. "You go in and get comfortable, I want to check how Marrow is doing. I won't be long." He pulled Qrow into a close hug, pushing his fringe aside to kiss his forehead. "I won't be long at all."

❖

"So, the leg feels almost better?"

"It does, thanks to Jaune and his healing hands." Marrow looked down at his lap and picked a non-existent piece of fluff from his trousers.

"I'm glad you and the other Ops are getting on well with Qrow's people. It's a good move; I can vouch for it." Clover smiled as Marrow looked at him, a small frown creasing his forehead.

"It's not like that!" He looked up at Clover. "It's not..."

"I said nothing." Clover rested a hand on Marrow's shoulder. "Have a good rest tonight, it'll be another busy day tomorrow." He left the room as Marrow scratched his chin, a thoughtful expression still on his face.

❖

His quarters were quiet when he returned, and for a moment Clover thought perhaps Qrow had changed his mind and left. However, the light from the bedroom revealed Qrow sitting up in bed, EarPods in and scroll in hand. He looked up as Clover entered, tapping the screen. "I had a quick shower. Just playing a bit of RoostSim if that's okay."

"No problem, I'll be with you in a bit."

As the water washed the day away from Clover's shoulders he smiled at the thought of Legendary Huntsman Qrow Branwen busy building his nests. He was glad Qrow had found a less destructive way to unwind after a tough day.

The nests were in good shape, the birds starting to pair up and select where they wanted to lay their eggs. "I think the predators appear at the next stage; not sure I want to deal with that today." Qrow quit the game and removed his EarPods.

"Come and have a cwtch." Clover got comfortable and opened his arms. Qrow placed his scroll and EarPods on the nightstand, before nestling against Clover's chest with a satisfied sigh.

"You are definitely better for me than any bottle."

"We aim to please. And I'm glad to have helped. But you know, Qrow, it's your strength that's getting you through this. It's come from you. I'm just playing a supporting role."

"It's an important part. Since deciding to stop drinking, I've had a few... rough moments. But the combination of the kids, and you, and actually feeling a bit better about myself— it's helped." He hugged Clover tightly, one leg wrapping across Clover's as he sought to get closer still. "At one point I thought loving you was making me weak—" He squeezed tighter as Clover's body shifted against him. "But I wasn't thinking straight then. It's given me strength. Gods, at this rate I'll be writing an inspirational book about it."

"Come on Qrow, don't go that far. Not sure I want to marry someone who'd do that." There was a momentary silence. "Oh... oops..."

Qrow edged back to squint up into Clover's face. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Uh, possibly?" Clover's face was fiery, his head turned a little to avoid Qrow's gaze.

"You realise you're starting to make a habit of this? Just speaking your thoughts out loud?"

Clover made an inarticulate noise. Qrow grinned mercilessly.

"Don't ever get caught by the enemy and taken for interrogation. You wouldn't last two minutes."

"That'd be different. That'd be work." Clover tried hard to regain control. "Personal feelings wouldn't enter into it."

"So, what _are_ your _personal feelings_ , exactly?"

"Qrow, don't. I'm embarrassed enough already."

"Embarrassed by your personal feelings for me? I'm hurt now." He rolled over, turning his back on Clover whilst trying to smother his laughter.

"Qrow, I didn't mean... Oh gods, you're _laughing_ at me. You complete and utter—"

Qrow rolled back quickly and half climbed onto Clover, his eyes wet as he tried to suppress his smirk. "Oh Ebi, you're so _easy_." He pressed a smiling kiss against Clover's forehead.

Clover frowned. "We'll see who's _easy_." He tried to push Qrow onto his back, but the older man was too quick for him. As Qrow slid off the bed, the smirk returned.

"I thought this was going to be a quiet end to the day. Now I've had an unintended marriage proposal, and my boyfriend is trying to attack me."

"I didn't— oh, come here, you."

Qrow returned to the bed as Clover shuffled back to make room. He turned his back on the younger man, saying, "Do you want the chance to cuddle your potential future partner?" There was a pause, then Qrow felt Clover's warmth as he curled up behind him.

"Did you mean what you just said?" Clover's breath was soft against Qrow's ear.

"I did." Qrow sought Clover's hand and kissed it. "I... I don't know about marriage. Not sure if I— I've not ever considered it. But... there must be other ways to... commit yourself to someone. And to be fair, it's still _early days_ , as Yang would no doubt say."

"She would, and she'd be right, I guess. But I feel sure. Of my feelings. Of us."

Qrow squeezed his hand. "I know. Maybe when things have settled down a bit, we can... think about it?"

"Mmm, sounds good." Clover's voice was deep against Qrow's back. "Uh, Qrow?"

"What is it, soldier-boy?"

"You know Jaune? Well, of course you do. Is he... into guys at all?"

Qrow twisted his head to see Clover's face. "Asking for a friend, I hope."

"Obviously, you idiot... it was something Marrow said."

"Oh, right. Well, you know he and Pyrrha were pretty close before... he's not shown any interest in guys that I'm aware of. Although to be fair, I haven't always been the most aware person."

"Oh well, Marrow may be out of luck."

"Actually, now I come to think of it... earlier today, when the kid was healing Marrow's leg. I may have detected a little something. Tell Marrow he may be in with a chance."

"Not sure he knows himself what he wants yet. Gods, who'd be young? I'm glad I've got all that out of my system."

Qrow couldn't resist a wriggle. "You sure about that?"

Clover pinched his butt. "Stop it, I'm tired."

"I am too. Might be a bit livelier in the morning though."

Clover hugged him close. "Sounds like I'm on a promise. Sleep tight, birdy."

Qrow turned his head to kiss Clover on the nose. "Sweet. 'Night, Cloves."


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Show me the love to keep us together  
> Open up your heart, don't turn me away  
> Comfort me through this stormy weather  
> From where I stand, I see a broken land  
>  _Broken Land - The Adventures_

❖

Qrow slowly opened his eyelids. It was not yet dawn, and as his eyes grew accustomed to the light level, he could see the outlines of the furniture in the room.

For a brief moment, he didn't know where he was. The dream he'd had—he couldn't recall it exactly—did not involve him lying in close proximity to a warm body, a broad chest rising and falling against his cheek. _This reality is better than any dream._

The knowledge of the problems they were facing could not be ignored, but Qrow decided to push it out of focus, for now. He concentrated instead on the musky scent of Clover, the man whose accidental marriage proposal he'd accepted— _kind of_ —the previous evening.

Clover smelled like no-one Qrow had ever met before. As he remembered the people he'd known throughout his life, Qrow tried to suppress a snicker. _They mostly smelt like crap, and I probably did too_. But Clover... that slightly woody scent, overlaid with something herbal Qrow couldn't identify. And sometimes, the addition of a sharp floral fragrance which Qrow smelled when he pressed his face against Clover's hair. Most of it was only product, Qrow told himself. But the overall effect, combined with his innate body odour which was always there, shouted _Clover_ every time.

Qrow couldn't get enough of it.

His lips were very close to Clover's nipple. The younger man was still asleep, but a glance at the clock told Qrow that in half-an-hour or so, they would have to start getting up. Qrow made his decision.

He pushed up onto one elbow, his other hand flat on the mattress to steady himself. Lowering his head, he circled Clover's nipple with his tongue, provoking a murmur from the younger man. Qrow grinned, continuing his exploration of Clover's chest with his mouth, drinking in the heady scent. He moved across to the other nipple, the slight hair growth tickling his lips. As his teeth grazed across Clover's skin, Qrow felt the younger man's body shift slightly.

"Qrow? Mmm, this is a nice way to wake up." Clover's sleepy voice thrummed in his chest as he raised a hand to twine his fingers in Qrow's hair. "You making good on your promise from last night?"

Qrow lifted his face, his eyes meeting Clover's, still half-closed with sleep. "Could be. If you're interested."

Clover rolled onto his side, one arm circling Qrow's waist and pulling him close. Qrow slid his leg between Clover's and pressed against him, the other man's state of arousal answering Qrow's question.

"Oh, I'm more than interested." Clover's voice was gruff as he teased a kiss against Qrow's throat.

"That's good." Qrow whispered into Clover's hair, his words sliding into a moan as Clover pressed him onto his back. "Makes two of us, then."

"Uh, hold on a minute." Qrow squinted up at Clover, puzzled, as he reached for the nightstand. "Don't want to be interrupted by the alarm clock."

Qrow squirmed underneath him as Clover turned his attention back to the bed. He adored the weight of Clover against him, feeling an almost gravitational pull in his desire to get closer. Their bodies twined together, legs interlocking, lips meeting in an urgent kiss. Qrow snaked his arms around Clover's back, pulling him closer still. His head tilted back against the pillow, and Clover ran his tongue along Qrow's jaw and across his throat, pressing a heated kiss against it. Qrow pushed against the younger man, feeling the beating of the heart above him mirroring his own. Clover's breath was hot against Qrow's neck, his murmured words humming against the pale skin. Qrow angled his head, his lips finding Clover's ear.

"I love you, sunbeam." The barely whispered words tickled against Clover's skin, and before Qrow's mouth found his once more, he kissed the older man's forehead, almost reverentially.

"And I love you, my beautiful birdy."

❖

The morning briefing was almost late starting. Qrow and Clover had not made it to the mess hall in time for a proper breakfast, and had to be content with slices of toast eaten on the go as they hurried to the briefing room.

"Uh, sorry for the slight delay everyone. This won't take long." Clover rubbed the crumbs from his mouth, as Qrow sidled to the back of the room. There were a few raised eyebrows amongst the hunters as Clover switched on the screen; he cleared his throat and rapped his knuckles on the desk to gain their attention. "Right then."

Clover divided the Hunters between more location assessments and Grimm patrols for the second day; one day hadn't given them enough time to cover every location. He and Qrow were remaining in Atlas for the tribunal report, which was expected later that morning.

"Are you sure you don't want to head down to Mantle for a few hours? Take it out on some poor Grimm?" Clover asked as the others filed from the room.

"No, I'll stick around here. So long as that's okay with you and Winter?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine with it. You've been kind of co-opted into the military now." Clover smiled at the disgusted look on Qrow's face. "Now, what we need is something useful to do. Something to occupy us until later."

"Did you have anything particular in mind?"

"Well, we haven't completed our guidelines." Clover was determined they wouldn't be forgotten.

"True, but do we need them really? Things are going pretty well now, aren't they?"

"That's exactly the time to look at them; so they'll be there when things might not be going so well."

"Okay then, you've persuaded me. Although I don't like to think of things not going well."

"Me neither, but we're just being prepared. Good military strategy. Don't pull that face."

Qrow smiled. "Well, stop goading me then."

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Let's see what we've got so far." Clover took his scroll from his pocket and sat down beside Qrow. "Right, here we go." He displayed the document for them both to look at.

  


**Clover will...**

  * always leave his bedroom window slightly open
  * not use the phrase _I've read the file_
  * respect Qrow's need for 'personal time'



  


**Qrow will...**

  * be sure to close the lid after using the toilet
  * not deflect praise or put himself down
  * not respond to every serious comment with a flippant answer
  * let Clover know if he needs 'personal time'



  


**We both will...**

  * not go to sleep angry
  * listen closely to the other when there is a disagreement; try to see it from the other side
  * obey Reggie



  


Qrow studied the screen. "Seems to me you're too perfect. I need to think of another point for you to make it fair." He scratched his head. "Hmm, I know. Put down _Clover will try not to overthink things and worry too much about unnecessary shit._ "

"I might have to paraphrase that." Clover sat with a furrowed brow, before adding a line to the document. They both looked at the screen. "How's that looking?"

"Pretty good. Now it's just a matter of remembering."

"Oh. Don't worry about that. I'll make sure you do." Clover put his hand over Qrow's where it rested on the table. "You okay with this? Not feeling pressured at all?"

"No, I'm really not. Must be getting used to this _being a couple_ thing." He glanced at Clover, who had a broad smile on his face.

"Qrow, I feel so happy when I think of us like that. Is it daft?"

"Maybe a bit. We can be daft together." Qrow leaned towards Clover and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mmm, nice." Clover turned his head, pressing a soft kiss against Qrow's lips.

Any further intimacy was thwarted by the buzzing of Clover's scroll. He glanced at the screen, the message from Winter clearly visible. "She's got the report."

Qrow sighed. "Time to find out the truth of Jimmy's plans." He pushed back his chair, looking down at Clover as he got to his feet. "We going?"

Clover lifted his gaze to Qrow's face. "Yes." His voice trembled a little.

Qrow placed his hands on Clover's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Come on, soldier-boy." His voice was soft.

Clover took one of Qrow's hands and kissed it. "Let's go."

❖

Winter looked up when she heard the tap on the door. It opened slowly to reveal Clover, with Qrow just behind him. "Okay to come in?"

She gestured vaguely, as though lifting her arm was an ordeal. They entered her office and closed the door.

Qrow dragged a second chair across to the desk, nodding at Winter in greeting. She returned an almost imperceptible smile.

"Here it is." She indicated her scroll. "Do you want to read it through, or shall we start with the summary?"

"I'm sure we'd like to read it all." Clover raised an eyebrow at Qrow.

"Yeah, but shall we get the edited highlights first?" _I'd rather hear the worst and work backwards from that._

"Very well. I will be as concise as possible." Winter cleared her throat. "The General's intent is to protect the people of Atlas. To achieve this, his plan is to reduce the population of Mantle to the bare minimum, enabling resources and manpower to be focussed on Atlas."

Clover and Qrow exchanged a look. "How does he intend to _reduce the population of Mantle_?" Qrow didn't like where this was going.

"Well, this is where the General's plan becomes... unorthodox."

Clover leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. Qrow was sitting back in his chair, arms folded, a scowl across his face.

"He has formulated a plan, along with— Jacques Schnee, to encourage the people of Mantle to want to leave. By offering relocation incentives, and making Mantle increasingly inhospitable."

"Hold on, Winter." Clover scratched his head. "Setting aside the fact that the General and your— Jacques Schnee have been at odds for quite a while now, why _do_ this? Without the people of Mantle, how will Schnee Dust operate?"

Winter moved some papers around on her desk, finally lifting her head to look directly at Clover. He had never seen her look so tired.

"The SDC have decided there are better ways of operating. They plan to use mechanical means— robotic workers, if you will."

"Yeah, that figures." Qrow's voice was bitter. "No need to pay wages, or worry about working conditions."

Clover shot him a concerned glance, before turning back to Winter. "This whole idea of making Mantle... _inhospitable?_ Is the increased Grimm activity part of that?"

"Yes. And the information contained in some of those files we uncovered, was to help with that. Pinpointing weaker areas of defence, concentrating on busier areas of the city, knowledge of which Hunters might be in action. This was passed on, to expedite their plan."

"Passed on to who, exactly?" Qrow felt his insides turning to water. _It can't be, he wouldn't..._

"He... the General did not want to divulge that information, it seems. But—" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "24-hour surveillance of his cell provided the answer. He was in communication with Salem."

The world fell away as they sat in silence. Tears began to trace down Winter's cheeks.

Qrow considered her, as fear and anger fought within him. Without thinking, he left his chair and rounded the desk. Crouching down, he put an arm about Winter's shoulders. "I'm frightened." Her voice was small in the quiet room.

"We all are." Qrow's voice was harsh. "Or if not, we should be." He squeezed her awkwardly. "But, we'll manage something. Somehow." He looked across at Clover, who gave a slight nod.

Clover squared his shoulders. "Right, well, no point pretending this is anything less than shattering news. Now we have to consider how we deal with it."

Qrow felt Winter sit a little straighter in her chair. He gripped her shoulder and stood up with a grunt, looking across at Clover. They exchanged the smallest of smiles as Qrow returned to his seat.

Clover frowned, tapping a finger against the edge of the desk. "What I don't understand... why are the General and Schnee in this together? It doesn't make any sense."

"Oh Ebi, I think it makes perfect sense. Consider. The General wants to do what he thinks is best for Atlas. If Mantle must suffer to achieve this— he has always been somewhat... dictatorial when he is sure he's right. That mindset now seems to have consumed him. And as for my father..." She got to her feet, tugging at her jacket as she walked away from the desk. "To say he is driven by profit is simply a statement of fact. It has always been so. And now he can see a way to maximise profits, using the General's plans, which just happen to benefit him." She turned and faced them. "I have known for some time there was a cold, ruthless streak in him. I could never imagine it would manifest itself in this way."

The quiet in the room grew around them. The sound of passing footsteps in the corridor reminded Qrow that the world was still turning out there. "So how does this tie into those dates we saw? Is something particular going to happen? When was the first date again?"

"The first date is in eight days' time. A week tomorrow. We don't yet know what might occur then."

Clover huffed out a breath. "If... what can we do if she comes here in person? I presume the— he's made a deal of some sort? What's to stop her destroying Atlas? What does _she_ get out of all this?"

Qrow glanced at him, as they sat in silence. "I don't know how much he's shared with you, about her and what she wants?"

They both looked at him, faces blank.

"Very little." Winter's voice was curt.

"Oz theorised she wants to gather the four relics, and the power of the four maidens. So if she's coming here, she'll want the Winter Maiden. And the Lamp, and the Staff."

Clover and Winter exchanged a puzzled look. Winter's eyes widened. "But... the Staff is holding Atlas up. If she takes it... it will be carnage."

"Yes, his reasoning is flawed, surely? If she takes the relics, Atlas will fall, and he _can't_ want that... This isn't making sense. Unless there is a plan to protect Atlas somehow." Clover rubbed his forehead, eyes squinting towards Qrow. "Can _you_ understand what's going on here?"

"No. Only that Jimmy _fucking_ Ironwood has a lot of explaining to do."

Winter pushed her hair away from her face. "I think— I think I will visit the General."

"Are you sure? And do you want me to come with you?" Clover wasn't convinced this would be a wise move. _We're too close to him. At least, we were._

"I'll come." Qrow's voice was harsh. "I'll be happy to persuade the rest of the details out of him."

Clover and Winter both looked at him. "Not sure that would be helpful," said Clover. He reached out and touched Qrow's hand where it was resting on the desk. Qrow withdrew his hand a little, then clasped Clover's fingers and squeezed them.

"I know. I just feel like breaking something, and Jimmy's head seems like a good place to start."

"You and me both, Qrow, but in all honesty, that wouldn't achieve anything. Apart from satisfying you."

Clover blushed at the sly grin on Qrow's face. "You already did that earlier, soldier-boy."

"Oh, for pity's sake! Yes, you two are shagging! Yes, it's very pleasurable for you both! Yes, everything is going to shit, and no-one cares..." Winter's voice rose higher as she stood abruptly, one hand dragging across the desk and spilling papers onto the floor. She didn't seem to notice, as she walked across the room, her hands clenching into fists.

Qrow's face wore a stunned expression, and Clover jumped up, going over to Winter and placing a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Winter, that was very unprofessional." He glanced back at Qrow, his forehead wrinkled. "It won't happen again."

"Yeah, sorry, Winter. I guess we're all trying to cope with this in our own way."

Winter let out a trembling breath. "Your way is a little... unconventional."

Qrow peered up at her, as he knelt on the floor to collect the scattered papers. "What else did you expect?"

She laughed shakily. "You're right, for once. We all react differently to stressful situations. Thank you, Clover." Winter patted his hand, still resting on her arm. "I'm fine now." Tugging at her jacket, she returned to the desk.

Qrow handed her the untidy sheaf of papers. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Qrow. Now, where were we?" The professional facade was back in place as she looked from one man to the other.

"If you think speaking to the— to Ironwood would help you, then do it." _It's time we thought of ourselves and how we can best get through this_ , thought Clover. "Qrow and I will do a survey of the perimeter wall; we need to get that back to full strength ASAP."

Qrow nodded his acknowledgment. "And if Jimmy asks after me, you can tell him, he's on my list. Of butts to kick when I have the time," he clarified, smiling at Winter grimly.

"Very well. If I can glean any further information from him, any explanation..." Winter shook herself. "Let's touch base later, shall we say 16:00? We could meet in the mess hall; it won't be too busy at that time."

"Sounds good." Clover pushed back his chair, Qrow following suit. He bent down to right it after it had toppled over.

Winter gave a small chuckle. "It's good to know some things never change."

"Branwen's Comedy Misfortune Act, I'm here all week." Qrow grinned at Winter, and followed Clover from the room.

As they turned to walk along the corridor, Qrow paused. "Actually, before we head down to Mantle, there's someone we should have a word with. No, not _him_ ," he added, seeing Clover's frown. "Oscar."

❖

The cell was larger than Winter had expected. It looked to her more like a small apartment, of the kind that was issued to low-ranking visitors to the barracks.

General James Ironwood sat with his back to the door, head slightly bowed, and made no move to turn round when Winter was announced. She stood just inside the cell, nodding to the guard who told her to knock when she was ready to leave.

"General? Sir?" Her attempt to sound confident was not successful.

He raised his head, slowly turning in his chair to face her. It had only been three days since his arrest, and Winter was shocked by his appearance.

The strong, confident man she had admired was not here. In his place was a stooped, almost fragile looking person, his face grey under the bleak lighting.

"Hello, General." Winter stood a little taller, meeting his gaze as he stared at her.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

"May I sit down?" She gestured to the bed, seating herself on the very edge in response to his almost imperceptible nod. "Are you— being looked after here?"

He gaped at her, as though he couldn't comprehend the meaning of her question. She was about to repeat it, when he said, "Yes, yes. Everything is very good."

 _He doesn't seem quite... present._ Winter wondered if there was any point in continuing the conversation.

"Did you want something, Specialist?" Ironwood's voice was firmer, almost like it used to be. Winter glanced at him, before returning her gaze to the floor in front of her.

"Why did you do it, Sir?"

The silence stretched between them. With an abrupt movement, General Ironwood got to his feet and paced across the room. He turned slightly, not quite facing Winter, as if he was addressing someone only he could see.

"It seemed to be the only way. Jacques' plan was ruthless, maybe extreme, but it was the one way to protect Atlas. With the citizens of Mantle moved away, we could focus on Atlas, reinforce it, protect it... it would be invulnerable, safe from— everyone." His head swivelled towards Winter. "Do you see? It was the only way... Atlas must be protected. It is my duty."

Winter's wide eyes stared at him. _He really believes it..._ she stood up.

"Thank you for explaining this to me, Sir. I will leave you in peace now."

"Peace! There is no peace here." His harsh voice barked out at her as she knocked on the cell door. After a moment, the guard opened it to allow her out of the room. Glancing back, Winter saw him seated once more at the desk, his head dropped forward into his hands.

She left the secure area, steps slowing until she was standing still in the corridor. Looking about, Winter did not recognise where she was. She had been walking with no awareness of her surroundings, and now stepped to the side, sagging against the wall as she began to sob.

When her scroll buzzed in her pocket, Winter thought about ignoring it, but... she just couldn't. Her extreme work ethic came to her aid as she opened the scroll, swallowing hard and rubbing her nose as she answered the call. "Robyn? How may I help you?"

There was a pause before the caller spoke. "Winter? Are you alright?"

Winter dropped her hand, taking a shuddering breath before raising the scroll again. "Y-yes, Robyn, I'm fine."

Robyn heard the sniffle which Winter had failed to suppress. "Look, you're obviously not okay, and I'm sure I can guess why. I need you to bring me up to speed with things, let's meet up, shall we?"

"I'm... Ebi, Branwen, and I are getting together at four o'clock this afternoon, do you wish to attend?"

"Uh, that doesn't work for me. Later would do, if I could grab you then."

Winter's brain froze momentarily at Robyn's choice of words. "How does six o'clock sound to you?"

"Perfect. I'll meet you at the main entrance to the barracks, we can go for a walk. Nice and private. Look forward to seeing you, Winter."

For a long moment after Robyn had cut the call, Winter gazed at her scroll. Then she pocketed it, squared her shoulders, and walked more briskly along the corridor.


	23. Chapter 23

You knew how to sell your lies  
I followed easily  
Misled, couldn't see what you were like  
You betrayed me  
_Remember - Nemesea_

❖

They found Oscar in the training area. He'd just finished a sparring session with Penny, and was leaning against the wall trying to get his breath back.

"Greetings, Specialist and Huntsman! We have completed a most successful training session. I am happy to report Ozpin's young host has improved by fourteen percent since his last session!" Penny beamed brightly at them. "Thank you, Oscar, you will make an exemplary huntsman one day, of that I am sure!"

With those encouraging words, she bid them farewell and set off along the corridor, feet hovering just above the floor.

"Okay, Mr Fourteen-Percent, how're you doing?" Qrow grinned at Oscar as he slowly recovered his breath.

"I'm... fine... thanks... Qrow." He took a large gulp of water from his bottle, tipping the remainder over his head. "Phew, that's better."

Clover quirked an eyebrow at Qrow. He wasn't very well acquainted with Oscar Pine, and the fact that the youngster had the incarnation of Beacon's former headmaster in his head made Clover a little wary. But he trusted Qrow, and his ability to connect with the teenager.

"Uh, you're aware of what's been happening, right? We'll be having a proper meeting about it tomorrow, but in the meantime..." Qrow glanced up and down the corridor. "I wanted a chat. About Oz, and what you're aware of."

Oscar looked up at them, his fourteen-year-old self very evident in his worried face. "Of course, I'll tell you anything I can think of... anything I know."

"Let's go for a walk." Qrow set off slowly along the corridor, Oscar alongside him. Clover followed a little behind, listening intently as they spoke.

"I know some of what Ozpin thought about Atlas. Not everything though. As you know, he wasn't always the most forthcoming of people."

Qrow laughed bitterly. "Don't we know it. And now we're in the shit."

"Qrow... teenagers present."

Oscar laughed as he glanced back at Clover. "Don't worry, Captain. Oz has heard far worse from this old crow over the years." His voice became serious again. "Oz wasn't totally sold on using the Staff to support Atlas, but at the time, it was the only effective way. He thought maybe in the future, improvements in Gravity Dust technology might mean the Staff could be replaced, and Atlas actually supported by Dust, as most people believe."

"And has it? Been improved, I mean?" Qrow cast a curious glance at the boy walking beside him.

"That, I don't know. I spoke with the General when we arrived, but he didn't have much to say."

"Hmm, wonder why," growled Qrow.

Clover coughed behind them. "Is this something the SDC might be working on? Is it worth asking Jacques Schnee?"

Qrow stopped, Oscar following suit a few steps later. They turned towards Clover.

"I'd say so," Qrow replied. He glanced at Oscar again. "Any other Oz nuggets you can recall?"

Oscar frowned. "I just wish he'd come back properly... actually, there _was_ one other thing I remember. Something about enhanced Hard-Light Dust, which would improve the shield around Atlas. I can't recall any details though."

Qrow ruffled his hair. "That's good stuff, kid. We've got questions to ask of other people, now."

The teenager looked up at them. "We'll be okay. I feel it."

"I hope you're right." Clover smiled at him, before Oscar turned to continue up the corridor, calling, "See you later," over his shoulder as he went.

Qrow and Clover stood looking at each other.

"I _suppose_ we'll have to see Jacques Schnee before too much longer." This wasn't a prospect Qrow relished.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"Do you? Does anyone?"

"Fair point. And no, I don't. He's slippery, but I reckon he'll be willing to co-operate if he thinks there's something in it for him."

"In that case, we'll have to make sure that's the impression we give him." Qrow smiled bleakly. "But can we get some food first? I'm famished."

❖

Qrow wasn't as hungry as he'd thought. Nothing in the mess hall looked appealing, so in the end he had a bowl of plain pasta.

"That's not very exciting." Clover had opted for the chilli, and wasn't regretting it.

"My appetite's kind of disappeared." Qrow poked at the pasta shells, spearing them one at a time into his mouth.

"Are you worried about seeing you-know-who?" Clover's voice was a mumble through his food.

"Nah, not really. We need to get whatever we can from him." Qrow stabbed the pasta savagely. "He owes us that. Snide, conniving—"

"We can't afford to lose our tempers, Qrow. Even if we want to."

"I know. But just once, I'd like to give one of these bastards what they deserve..."

"If they go on trial, that'll hopefully happen. But for now," said Clover, scraping his plate, "it's all about preventing mayhem in eight days' time."

❖

The head of the SDC stood facing away from the cell door, his hands linked behind his back. At the terse "Visitors!" from the guard, he slowly turned around.

Due to his status, he had been permitted to keep his own clothing. Qrow noticed—with some satisfaction—that it didn't look quite as pristine as usual.

"Ah, gentlemen. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His smooth voice filled the cell with the urbane air of a welcome to a garden party. "I must apologise for the lack of seating."

Qrow's hands twitched as he tried to prevent them balling into fists. The man before him represented everything he loathed— power without responsibility, unearned wealth, a belief in his right to behave however he chose, with no regard for others...

Clover took a small step forward. "Mr Schnee, we've come to ask for your help."

Even though they'd agreed on their approach, Qrow felt his stomach twist at hearing Clover's pleasant voice. _He's a good actor. I couldn't do this._

"And why do you imagine I'd want to do that?"

"You're a clever man, Mr Schnee. The result of these ongoing investigations will not reflect favourably on you, as I'm sure you know. If there is any way you can help us with the current— predicament, that may well benefit you in future."

Qrow gazed at his boyfriend. _He's good! I almost believe him myself..._

Jacques Schnee stared at Clover, one hand languorously stroking his moustache.

"You speak a good deal of sense, Captain—" He made a show of peering at Clover's uniform, "—Ebi." Looking up into Clover's impassive face, he said, "What guarantee do I have that this will come to pass?"

Clover smiled at him; the smile didn't reach his eyes. "No guarantees, I'm afraid. Other than the word of an honest soldier, but if that isn't enough—" and he turned towards the door.

Jacques threw up his hand. "One moment! Let me consider..." He rubbed his chin, brow furrowed.

"Very well! If we cannot trust our military, what hope is there?" He smiled at Clover, but Qrow could see worry in his eyes. _He's scared. Good._

❖

Twenty minutes later they bid Jacques farewell and knocked for the guard to let them out. After a few paces along the corridor outside, Qrow took a deep breath, huffing it out slowly. "Gods, he makes my flesh crawl. What a—"

Clover took his elbow. "Yes, but not here, Qrow. Let's get out of this place."

They headed away from the prison area and out into the fresh air.

"This is better. He makes you feel unclean, the repellent—"

Clover stopped Qrow's words by covering his mouth in a firm kiss. After the briefest of hesitations, Qrow sank against him, a lightness spreading through his body.

"Let's not worry about him for now. Yes, he's an oily creep, but he gave us a lot to think about. We can go through it later, with Winter."

"Suits me." Qrow raised a hand to Clover's cheek. "This okay? With you in uniform?"

"I couldn't care less. You are far more important." He held Qrow's face in his hands, one thumb brushing a cheekbone. "I love you. I told you before, I'm going to keep on saying it."

"Well done, soldier-boy. You've driven every Schnee-based thought from my head."

"D'you fancy a walk? We've got time."

"Why not? My brain could do with some of that fresh Solitas air."

They made their way to the main gate and away from the barracks, hands linked and swinging casually between them.

❖

The mess hall was almost empty, and as Clover and Qrow entered, refreshed from their walk, they had no difficulty spotting Winter at a table in the corner.

"You go over, I'll grab two cups of tea." Qrow went to the counter, and Clover sauntered over to the table.

"Hi Winter, may I?" He tugged at one of the free chairs opposite her.

"Of course, take a seat." She glanced across the room, as Qrow approached slowly with two mugs. He set them carefully on the table.

"Can I get you anything, Winter?"

"No thank you, Qrow, I'm fine."

Qrow pulled at the chair beside her. "Okay with you if I sit here?"

"Be my guest." She offered Qrow a small smile as he sat down.

Clover's astonished gaze travelled from one to the other. "I know the world is going mad, but this takes the biscuit."

Qrow smirked at him. "Don't know what you mean, Cloves."

Clover shook his head slowly. "Okay, well, if we're all done with the formalities, let's get on before it gets too busy in here."

Winter coughed, and related to them what had happened when she visited the General. "It seems to have consumed him utterly. He cannot see any other way. We always knew he was single-minded, but—"

"There's no going back for him? No suggestion he could be reasoned with... talked round?" Clover felt heartsick. _All those years of service to the people, and he throws it away._

"I do not believe so." Winter held a paper napkin in her fingers, pleating it over and over. "Maybe when it is apparent his plan will fail... I just don't know." She looked at Clover, rubbing a hand over her pale face.

"Talking of plans, we had a couple of interesting meetings." Qrow slid his mug across the table, leaving a thin film of tea in its wake. Winter tutted, wiping it with the balled napkin.

"We spoke to Oscar. Oz is still proving... elusive, but the kid recalled a few memories. To do with the Staff, and Gravity Dust."

Winter raised her eyebrows. "If it wasn't Ozpin speaking directly, can we be certain of the accuracy of these memories?"

Clover rubbed his chin. "It all sounded plausible, and when we saw your— Jacques Schnee later, he verified it."

Winter's lips thinned. "You should think carefully before you accept _anything_ that man says as the truth."

"Yeah, you're right," Qrow agreed. "But he's trying to save his own skin, so he was ready to be helpful. I know you can trust him only as far as I could throw Clover— what?" He looked across the table, as Clover was about to protest. "I was trying to be descriptive; I wouldn't _really_ throw you. I mean, I _couldn't_ throw you very far. That was the point."

"Don't even try it." _This why I love him,_ thought Clover, his eyes fond as he looked at Qrow.

Qrow scratched his head. "What was I saying? Oh yeah, don't trust Schnee. Good advice, but it's worth following up on what he said, especially as it ties in with what Oz talked about."

"Which was what, exactly?" Winter's nails were tapping on the table. "Try to be precise, Branwen, we don't have all day."

"You've got somewhere more important to be, then?" Qrow eyed her narrowly, eyebrows rising at the unexpected colour washing across her cheeks.

"Yes. I will be bringing Ms Hill up to speed with the situation later." She stared at Qrow, defying him to make an inappropriate comment.

Qrow was tempted, but contented himself with a quick look at Clover, whose face was an inscrutable mask. Except for one corner of his mouth, which twitched just a little.

Clover decided Winter had suffered enough. "Okay, so the gist of it, was this. Ozpin had reservations about the continued use of the Staff to support Atlas. Long-term, it was hoped to replace it with enhanced Gravity Dust, which is being worked on right now. And there's something else. Well, two things."

Qrow nodded. "Go on, Cloves. You're on a roll."

Clover took a sip of tea as he glanced around the room. A few more people had arrived for their evening meal; he leaned forwards, elbows resting on the table.

"You know the Hard-Light barrier protecting Atlas? Well, another thing being developed, is an improved version which will provide even greater protection. And, the last thing is the best." He paused dramatically.

"If you're waiting for a drum roll, there isn't one." Qrow smirked at him.

"Just letting it all sink in, Qrow. The new thing is like, the opposite of Hard-Light. They call it No-Light." He sat back, folding his arms across his chest.

Winter wrinkled her brow. "What does it do?"

"Well, it's like an absence of light, so instead of— I mean, light doesn't reflect off it, so..."

Qrow leaned in. "It makes things invisible," he whispered.

"And undetectable," added Clover.

"And this will be useful because..." Winter couldn't immediately see an application for this technology.

"Their plan was to construct a receptacle of some kind, to hide the Staff in. It would be safe from— anyone who might be looking for it."

"Like you-know-who," added Qrow helpfully.

"How close are these developments to being implemented?"

"Not sure. We need to speak to the R&D teams. Discreetly, of course." Clover drained his mug.

"What we don't know, is how many on the science side have thrown their lot in with Ironwood and Schnee. That could make a difference."

"Possibly, Qrow. But with both men in custody, I imagine support will dwindle quite quickly." Winter glanced at her watch. "Was there anything further? I should be on my way."

Qrow and Clover exchanged a look.

"I think that's all for now. We have a meeting tomorrow morning, don't we? The four of us?" asked Clover.

"Yeah, and I'm thinking we should bring in the team leaders too."

"Ruby and Jaune? Is that wise, Qrow?" Winter looked up from her scroll. "They are rather young."

"They're all licensed now," Clover pointed out.

"Exactly. They need to know what's coming."

Winter stood up. "You may be right. Very well, can I leave it to you to inform them?"

"Will do." Clover also stood, collecting the mugs from the table. "Well, have a nice assignation with Robyn."

Winter blushed. "It's not—"

"Don't tease her, Cloves. He didn't mean it, Winter." Qrow patted her kindly on the arm.

"Well! Now I know the world's turned on its head. I'll see you tomorrow, eight o'clock sharp."

She nodded to them, and walked briskly from the hall.

As the two men slowly walked to the counter to deposit the mugs, Qrow said, "Has Winter ever had a... boyfriend? Girlfriend? Or anythingfriend?"

"Not to my knowledge. Though knowing her, she'd keep it private if she had. Why, do you reckon—"

"Her and Robyn? Could be... What a time to choose, though."

Clover bumped Qrow's shoulder as they turned out onto the corridor. "Yeah, what idiots would think about getting together when all this is going on?"

Qrow laughed. "We're all idiots, then." He took Clover's hand, kissing it several times. "Lucky—"

"Don't say it, Qrow. That's my line."

"What's yours is mine now. Lucky us. There, I said it." Qrow pulled on Clover's hand, and their steps sped up as they headed away from the mess hall.

❖

_This was a bad idea. We could have met inside. Why did I—_

Winter's escalating worries were eased as she saw the tall figure turn the corner towards her. Robyn walked in a way that made Winter's heart beat marginally faster than normal. _And why not? I've always admired good posture and gait, it's perfectly normal..._

"So sorry to keep you waiting, Winter." Robyn's rueful smile, the firm clasp of her warm hand over Winter's, dispelled any lingering doubts in her mind.

As Robyn released her hand, Winter raised it to tuck a non-existent strand of hair behind her ear. "Please don't worry, I haven't been here long," she lied. _Why am I nervous? It's not as if this is a date..._

"So, shall we?" Robyn eyed Winter's slightly flushed face, one eyebrow raised. She wasn't well acquainted with the other woman, but knew her reputation of cool professionalism. _Something seems a bit off. No surprise there I guess._

They began walking away from the barracks, taking the route leading to Nicholas Park. Robyn glanced at Winter. "I'm sorry I called at a bad moment earlier, when you were upset. D'you want to talk about it?"

Winter opened her mouth to deliver an impersonal, automatic reply. Nothing came out.

Robyn stayed silent, and after a short while, Winter tried again. "I'd just been to see the General. It wasn't a pleasant experience."

Robyn snorted with laughter. "I bet!"

Winter felt her lips curving into an unexpected smile. "Your compassionate reaction does you credit, Robyn."

They both laughed, Winter feeling the tension slip from her shoulders. Robyn rested a hand briefly on her arm.

"I'm sorry, I should be more sympathetic. You're in a difficult position, and I'm sure your years working for the General have made this very painful for you."

Winter bit her lip. "It's not easy... first, my father... but then, the General was someone I could admire, someone who was proud of me—" She broke off, sniffing as she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.

Robyn caught her by the arm, holding out a large, white square. "It's clean," she smiled, as Winter's nose wrinkled slightly. Winter took the handkerchief, gulping as she wiped her nose.

"I'm so sorry. What must you think of me?" She looked up at Robyn, the violet eyes set in her tanned face showing nothing but kindness.

"I think you're a person who feels they always have to be strong, and now you're going through a really shitty situation, and it's difficult. Because if you've set yourself up as the tough, dependable one... there's no-one for _you_ to turn to, when you're a bit fragile."

For a wild, impossible moment, Winter felt she could lean against the other woman, and rest her head against a supportive shoulder. The colour mounted on her cheeks as Robyn continued to regard her, smiling slightly.

Winter turned away, giving her nose a final wipe. "I'll launder this before returning it," she said, as she folded the handkerchief into her pocket.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." Robyn laughed, and they continued towards the park. "Now then, perhaps you can bring me up to date with where we're at." Robyn's tone became business-like as they began to stroll along the wide pathway.

Feeling calmer, Winter told Robyn of her visit to the General, and all that Clover and Qrow had discovered earlier in the day. As she fell quiet, Robyn whistled.

"Phew! They sure had some plans, huh?" She removed a hand from her pocket, rubbing the side of her face as she gazed straight ahead. "And this is all legit? How do we know these bastards—sorry, I know one of them is your father—how do we know they're telling the truth? Should I pay them a visit?"

Winter's steps slowed. "You know, Robyn, that may not be such a bad idea. If your semblance can confirm these claims, it will save us considerable time. And time is what we need plenty of at the moment."

"Great, let's do that, then. I'm coming to your meeting tomorrow morning, right? Still at eight o'clock?"

"Yes, the same meeting room as before."

"Well, how about I get to you a bit earlier, and we can go and verify Schnee's claims. You wouldn't—" Robyn halted, resting a hand on Winter's arm. "You wouldn't have to come in, if you didn't want to. I wouldn't want you—"

Winter cut in, "No, I feel it would benefit me to see him. To show him that he is on the wrong side, and we are doing what's right." She looked up, smiling tremulously. "If you're there..."

Robyn's hand squeezed a little tighter, and for a long moment they looked at each other. With a small shake of her head, Winter laughed. "I'm a little unsure of myself sometimes, Robyn."

"I'll let you in on a secret; so am I," laughed the other. "I just keep that fact well hidden." She dropped her hand, glancing at her watch as she did so. "Okay, I need to be off. I'll be at the barracks at seven-thirty tomorrow... shall I call you when I get there?"

"Yes. Yes, do that."

"I'm heading in the opposite direction to you, so I'll say goodbye." Robyn hesitated, before leaning forward and brushing her lips against Winter's cheek. "Bye, Winter."

As she strode away, Winter raised her hand, cool fingers barely touching her warm cheek. She slowly turned, retracing her steps back to the barracks.

❖

In the small room above a grocery store, the curtains were drawn, even though it was not yet night. The room was sparsely furnished, with a single bed, a battered wardrobe, and a table with two spindle-legged chairs. A dresser, one drawer collapsed at a drunken angle, completed the bleak picture.

The man at the table sat hunched over a piece of electronic equipment, fingers moving rapidly with only the occasional pause, as he considered his next action.

  


Far away, an identical piece of equipment sat upon a large, glowing table. The woman stood before it, her mouth set in a thin line. As the lights on the equipment faded, she turned from the table to pace the length of the room. The other occupants of the room, currently seated around the table, glanced at each other nervously. All except one individual, who seemed oblivious to the tension in the air. He stared greedily at the pacing figure, and opened his mouth as if to speak.

He did not get the chance. The woman turned sharply back towards the table.

"There is a change of plan. We travel in two days' time."


	24. Chapter 24

You are the only one  
The only one that knows me  
And in the dark you show me  
_Break In - Halestorm_

❖

"So, what about a takeaway this evening?" Clover didn't fancy cooking, and he could feel hunger beginning to worry at his stomach.

"Could do, I heard the kids talking about some burger place they'd ordered from the other day. Tell you what, I'll go and find the name, and I can tell Ruby and Jaune about tomorrow morning at the same time."

"Multi-tasking, Qrow? This is a new one."

"I can multi-task, hadn't you noticed?" Qrow smirked as he grabbed Clover, kissing him repeatedly whilst undoing his belt and trousers. Before Clover could catch his breath, his trousers had fallen to his ankles and Qrow was sliding his hands across his body.

Clover could feel Qrow's smile against his mouth and for a few seconds, considered going with it. His stomach had other ideas, growling so loudly that Qrow broke off.

"Hunger for burgers beats your hunger for me, huh?"

Clover bent down to pull his trousers up. He glanced at Qrow as he fastened them. "No reason we can't have both, is there?"

"You're on." Qrow kissed him again, softly this time. "But now you have to admit, multi-tasking is another of my skills."

"I admit nothing." Clover's trousers were once more secure. "But I _am_ hungry. And I have an idea of what we can have as dessert." Clover fixed Qrow with an intent look, which the older man was starting to recognise.

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "Not squirty cream again, is it?"

"That'd be telling." Clover winked at him. "Go and run your errands, and be quick about it."

Qrow bit back the automatic retort, opting instead for a kiss to Clover's cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."

❖

It didn't take Qrow long to locate Ruby. He headed to the area where the youngsters roomed, the noise drifting down the corridor enough to guide him. As he drew near the common room, he heard her voice. "Pulverise her, Nora! Beat her to a pulp!"

 _I hope that's a video game they're playing._ Qrow pushed open the door of the common room, pausing on the threshold.

Nora was standing before the screen, stamping her foot in unison with the blows from the outlandishly large hammer which her fighter was wielding. Yang's fighter was dodging and weaving, landing the occasional hit before dancing back from the bludgeoning hammer.

Ruby was standing behind the sofa, gripping the back and jumping up and down. Nora's health was low, and as Qrow watched, Yang's fighter produced a slim tube and raised it to her lips, firing a missile at the other combatant. It caught Nora off-guard, and as she jerked round awkwardly, Yang stepped in, to deliver the killer punch.

Nora flung down the scroll in disgust. "A pea shooter? You have got to be kidding me!"

Yang sat back as her fighter performed an elaborate victory dance on the screen. Her smug expression widened to a smile when she saw Qrow standing in the doorway.

"Nice one, firecracker. The element of surprise, always useful."

"Uncle Qrow! Do you want to play with us?" Ruby was all eagerness.

"No can do, kiddo. I just came to ask you something, and tell you something."

Jaune took a seat on the sofa, ready to tackle Yang. Qrow shuddered inwardly; he didn't want to witness the carnage which would certainly result.

"Jaune, before you get annihilated, I mean, stuck into your game," he called over, "I need to tell you and Ruby something."

The young man rose from the sofa and walked around to where Qrow was lounging against the doorframe. "What's up, Qrow?"

Ruby looked at Qrow, her eyebrows raised.

"Right, well, there's a meeting tomorrow at eight o'clock, to assess our situation and discuss what happens next. As team leaders, you two need to be there."

"Eight o'clock, okay. Where is the meeting?" Jaune's chest swelled a little at the prospect.

Qrow was silent. "Uh, dammit, I can't remember if it's in Winter's office or somewhere else. Look, I'll message you when I've checked with Clover, yeah?"

"Okay Uncle Qrow, make sure you tell me too."

"Sure thing. That's it Jaune, thanks."

"Come on Jaune, time to wipe the floor with you," Yang called from the sofa. Jaune gave them a rueful smile and went to join Yang. Ruby was about to follow, when Qrow caught her shoulder.

"Wait up, kiddo, I need to ask you—"

"Oh hurry up Uncle Qrow, I want to see this." Her eyes were already on the screen.

"Can you give me the name of that burger place you ordered from the other day? You said it was good."

"Yeah, it was..." Ruby scratched her head.

"Burgers Inc. It was called Burgers Inc.!" Nora's raised voice floated across the room.

"That was it! Burgers Inc." Ruby nodded.

"Great, thanks, team. See you tomorrow." Qrow ruffled Ruby's hair and turned to leave, as the cries of "Oh Jaune, not again!" followed him along the corridor.

❖

"Are you certain that was the name? I can't find it." Clover's search for _Burgers Ink_ had drawn a blank.

"It _is_ a weird name," Qrow agreed. "I'll check with Ruby again. Oh, and I need to tell her about the meeting room too." He tapped out a message on his scroll, face reddening as the reply came back. "Uh, of course."

Qrow held the scroll out to show Clover.

"Qrow, you duffer." Clover's next search found the establishment immediately.

"How was I to know? Kids these days, they don't make things clear..." Qrow's voice subsided to a cross mumble as Clover found the website.

"Well, never mind. We can order now."

Qrow rested his hands on Clover's shoulders as he peered at the menu. After some deliberation, they placed their order, and Clover turned off the screen.

"Half-an-hour, that's not too long. I'll have a very quick shower, I think."

"Do you need company?" Qrow's fingers skimmed slowly through Clover's hair, before delicately tracing down the shell of his ears. He felt the other man shiver at his touch.

Clover took Qrow's hands in his. "Not this time, we don't want to get distracted. But... you should go in after me. I want you clean, for later."

Qrow felt a lurch in his stomach. "Mmm, sounds interesting."

Clover stood suddenly, moving round to catch Qrow in a tight hug. "It will be, I promise."

  


Two showers, two burgers, fries and a few extras later, and both men were slumped on the sofa. Clover wiped his fingers on a paper napkin.

"Mmm, those kids weren't wrong. That was the best burger I've had in a long time."

"It was." Qrow finished his drink, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. "And you said something about dessert?"

"Ah, yes." Clover started to gather up the remains of the takeaway packaging. "Let's get rid of this lot first."

Qrow helped him clear the low table and took the last bits and pieces to the kitchen. He looked around for anything that might pass for dessert, his eyes alighting on— "Strawberries! And chocolate sauce!"

"You approve?" Clover looked at Qrow, an expression on his face which Qrow didn't understand.

"You know I like both these things. What's the big mystery?"

Clover picked up the bowl of strawberries and the bottle of sauce.

"I thought we might eat them in the bedroom."

"Oh. _Oh_. I'm with you now." Qrow slid his hands around Clover's waist. "What a good idea."

  


Some while later, Qrow was stretched out on the bed, watching Clover carefully as he took the bottle of chocolate sauce in his hand.

It had been at least fifteen minutes since they'd undressed, falling onto the bed in an untidy scramble. _I want this, I want this..._ Qrow didn't understand why he felt so... desperate. They had all night, after all.

Clover, as always, was happy to take his time. _He's very good at this patience thing._ Qrow was always in more of a hurry, although he was learning to slow down, to enjoy the moment. And the strawberries _were_ very enjoyable, he had to admit.

"I warmed it up a bit, so it shouldn't be too chilly. But say if it doesn't feel pleasant."

Clover's voice pulled Qrow back into the moment. "I love how methodical you are, even when it comes to... whatever this is."

Clover gave Qrow a heavy look, his eyes dark. "It's called making you taste even sweeter. Now, lie still. No wriggling."

Qrow groaned outwardly at Clover's weak joke. Inwardly he was quaking, as Clover held the bottle over him, squeezing slowly to deliver a thin trickle. As the sauce hit Qrow's skin he felt a tickle, increasing as he watched Clover trace a winding line across his chest and down his abdomen. Clover's face was intent, his tongue protruding between his lips as he concentrated. _Gods, how I love this man._

"That okay?" Clover's voice was husky as he looked at Qrow. The older man nodded as he gazed back at Clover, eyes half-lidded as he resisted the urge to move his hips. The knowledge of what was to come had set Qrow's skin tingling, his hand reaching out to Clover's thigh in vain.

"Have another strawberry." Clover took one of the ripe fruit and trailed it across Qrow's chest, before raising it to his mouth. Qrow took it greedily, his tongue licking at Clover's fingers. Clover kissed him softly. "Mmm, so sweet."

His lips travelled down Qrow's neck and across his shoulder, going on to lick a slow stripe across his chest. As his tongue chafed over first one nipple, and then the other, Qrow's fingers caught in Clover's hair. His other hand twitched against the bed, the desire to expedite matters himself almost overwhelming.

"Careful, Qrow," murmured Clover. "You don't want to get your hands sticky. That's my job."

Qrow exhaled slowly as Clover took the bottle once more, this time trailing a line round his navel, then lower still. The delicate sensation on Qrow's skin was a delightful torment, and when Clover took his time to put the bottle safely to one side, his impatience took over.

"Cloves, come on, this is—"

"It's okay Qrow, dessert should be relished." Chocolatey lips pressed against Qrow's mouth, the kiss lingering, until Qrow almost cried out in anguish. He felt Clover's smile against his lips, before the younger man sat back to brush his fingers down Qrow's torso. His mouth followed, tongue licking at the chocolate, the sauce adding to the friction against Qrow's skin.

Clover edged Qrow's thighs apart, fingers brushing against him with no more than a suggestion of what might follow. He glanced up at Qrow, the older man's face alight with perspiration. One hand gripped the edge of the bed, the other fluttering futilely against the mattress. Clover's own body ached with yearning for its own release, but he stifled the sensation, focusing on the sight before him, as Qrow's back arched in desperation. Clover's hand moved again, his tongue slowly licking the last of the chocolate from Qrow's body, as Qrow pushed against him urgently.

As Clover took Qrow to the pinnacle, over the crest, and slowly down the other side, he heard his name, repeated over and over. Qrow's fingers twined in his hair, body trembling as the tension flooded from him. Clover scrambled further up the bed, falling against Qrow's chest as he pressed his hips against Qrow's. Qrow's arms snaked around his waist.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..." The words breathed against Clover's hair were all he needed, and he pushed against Qrow, shuddering, as Qrow held him in the closest of embraces. Even as the sticky warmth pooled between them, as his heart pulsed against that of the man beneath him, Clover felt hot tears spring unbidden from his eyes, to fall against Qrow's face.

"And I love you, my sticky bird man. More than I can say." Clover kissed Qrow's damp cheeks gently, as the other raised a hand to rub at the tears still trickling from Clover's eyes.

"Oh, Cloves." Qrow wriggled his arms closer around Clover, drawing the weight of him down, pulling them inexorably together, as two celestial bodies attracted toward one other by some universal law.

They fell silent, breath slowly returning to normal. After several minutes, Clover pushed himself up with one hand, the fingers of the other still wound in Qrow's hair. "Am I crushing you?"

"I can take it, sunbeam." Qrow gazed up at Clover, whose lips still bore traces of chocolate on them. "But you were right about the sticky. I think we might need to revisit the shower."

Clover looked down at Qrow, his smile impossibly fond. "You're my everything, Qrow."

"Careful, don't heap too much pressure on me. I might snap." Qrow tapped him on the nose. "But, yeah... you too." He looked away, smiling.

Clover pressed a kiss to Qrow's forehead. "Let's get cleaned up, and we can have a bit of a read, or whatever, before we have to go to sleep."

❖

Jaune saw the back of Blake's head through the glazed panel in the door of the kitchen. He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and strode in, looking more confident than he felt.

Blake was sitting at the table, Yang opposite her. They both looked up with a smile at Jaune, who blushed and rubbed his face. "Uh..."

"That was eloquent." Yang grinned at him. "Care to elaborate?"

"I— I came to make myself a drink," he stuttered. He'd only just finished a can of lemonade, and cursed himself mentally for not thinking of something else.

"Would you like to have it with us?" Blake smiled at him, pulling another chair out slightly.

"Uh, well, thanks. Yeah, why not." He went to the cupboard and busied himself with the kettle and a mug. The girls' voices were quiet behind him; he could see their hands clasped across the table.

Having grown up in a house full of sisters, Jaune was accustomed to constant displays of affection. He was often the recipient of sisterly hugs and kisses, and had no problem at all with returning them. Romantic displays, though... that was something else.

He took his drink to the table and sat down. Blake released Yang's hand, glancing at him sideways. Her face wore a small frown.

"So. We've landed in a shitshow here, right?"

He raised his eyebrows. _Don't think I've heard her swear before._ "Yup."

"Apparently more info came out today. We should hear what's what tomorrow. I heard the Ace Ops talking about it." Yang's brow was furrowed. "Have to say, I wondered about Ironwood... didn't have him pegged as a full-on traitor, though."

"Everyone's shocked, but at the same time, everyone I've spoken to isn't _totally_ surprised. He's been showing signs of stress, and I think the pressure's got to him." Blake circled her mug on the table. "He should have talked to people. Got some different perspectives." She drained her mug, wiping her mouth delicately with the back of her hand.

"Marrow said—" Jaune broke off, blushing as he caught Yang's quizzical expression. "He said the Ops are stunned. Harriet especially. Ironwood was her... hero, I guess. But... they know this isn't about following one man. Their duty is to the people. That's what Marrow said."

"And he's right." Yang pushed back her chair. "You coming, honey?" She noticed Jaune's quick glance at Blake. "Or..."

"Blake I wondered if I could have a quick word with you." Jaune's words came out in a rush.

Blake's ears pricked up as she turned towards him. "Sure."

"I'll see you in a bit, then." Yang dropped a kiss on the top of her girlfriend's head. "See ya, Jaune." With a lazy wave, she left the room.

There was a short moment of silence, broken by Blake. "So..."

He looked at her, a small, grim smile on his face. "There's something I wanted to ask you, but... I feel bad about it. It's about stuff that happened... some time ago."

He sensed Blake stiffen in her chair. Her knuckles whitened as her hands gripped the mug.

"Look, tell me to get lost if you want. But you're the only person I can think of to ask."

Blake relaxed a little. "Okay. Go on, then."

Jaune stared at his mug. "You and Yang... you're together now, and it's all good, yeah?"

Blake smiled. "Yes, it's all good."

"But... you've liked guys in the past." Jaune shot her a quick sideways glance, noticing her lips compress, her ears flatten.

"I did."

"I'm really sorry, Blake, this was a bad idea." He half stood up, but she placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't go. I know it's not easy, facing up to... bad things that have happened. We both know that, don't we?" She looked up into his face. "But we're friends, and friends need to be there for each other. So, tell me what's up."

"I feel so guilty. Like I'm letting her down." Jaune's voice trembled as he sat back in his chair. "I never got the chance to— to tell her how I really felt, and then it was too late. And now—" He rubbed at his face. "And now I think I like someone else, and it's not a girl, and I don't know what to do." He pushed his mug across the table, resting his forehead on one clenched fist.

Blake gently rubbed his shoulders. Her voice came from a distant place. "I suppose it was the same for me. I'd assumed it was just boys, you know? And I'd had a... rough time, as you know. And then there was Yang..."

Jaune could hear the softness take over her voice as she continued.

"At first, she was such a good friend. And we got closer, and then I realised... you don't have to obey any rules laid down by other people. You go by how you feel, what feels right. And with Yang, it felt right."

"And... she wasn't surprised? Or... shocked, or anything?"

Blake laughed. "It would take a lot to shock Yang! No, she wasn't very surprised at all. And when she got used to the idea, she seemed rather pleased."

Jaune glanced at Blake's face, her cheeks slightly reddened. "So if I'm getting the idea that the person I'm thinking of might also be interested, I should just... go for it?" Jaune's cheeks were now matching Blake's as he stared across the room.

"I don't recommend just jumping on him. Marrow might not like that."

Blake laughed at Jaune's expression. "I notice things, Jaune. And from what I've seen of him, I think you'll probably be okay."

Jaune blinked several times, finally closing his mouth. "Right." He swallowed, and managed a smile. "Sorry for the odd conversation."

"Don't be. Talking is good. When you don't talk, that's when the difficulties start." She paused. "Was that it? Or..."

Jaune jumped up. "No, no, that's it. Thanks, Blake. I— I guess I knew, really. Just needed some confirmation." He collected the mugs and took them to the sink. "Sorry to have kept you from your evening."

"It's fine." Blake found a tea towel and dried the washed mugs. "Good luck with Marrow, when you get to speak to him."

Jaune rubbed his hands through his hair. "Yeah, well, with everything else going on, I'm not sure this is the time..."

Blake's smile faded. "If you wait for the perfect moment, it may never come. And I think, with what we'll probably be facing soon, now's as good a time as any." She patted his shoulder. "See you later!"

As Jaune pushed the chairs back under the table and cast one last look to check the room was tidy, he decided. Blake was right. "Wish me luck, Pyrrha," he whispered.

He turned off the light and left the room.

❖

They'd fallen asleep, Qrow held in Clover's arms as though he was the one thing in Remnant Clover cared about. Qrow knew this wasn't the case, but he revelled in the feeling— the idea of being so _wanted_.

The joyous experience earlier, one which seemed to go beyond anything they'd done before, had unsettled him. He lay still in the darkness, listening to Clover's steady breathing.

_How can it be right to feel such painful happiness? With all that's going on elsewhere?_

Clover had told Qrow before, it was okay to take the small, happy moments. It didn't mean you didn't care about all that was occurring around you.

_It will end, this will end, I'll die, he'll die, the kids will die..._

A pressure was building in Qrow's chest. He sensed his eyes were wet, could feel a hard, sharp sob forming inside him.

_What was it? Slow breath in for four, hold for four, slow breath out for four, hold for four, slow breath in..._

Clover had taught him the technique, and as Qrow focused on his breath, he felt his heart rate settle a little. But it wasn't enough.

Qrow edged out of Clover's embrace as carefully as he could, sighing with relief as the other man turned over with a small grunt. He slid from the bed quietly, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. _It's gone two o'clock._ Qrow stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, moving softly across the darkened room.

  


Clover shifted in his sleep, reaching an arm across the bed to draw Qrow closer to him.

There was no-one else in the bed.

He lay there for a moment, registering the fact that the other side of the bed was empty. There was no noise elsewhere; Clover was alone in his quarters.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He squinted at the time. _Nearly five o'clock._

As Clover pulled the covers back, he smiled at the small, dark shape in the bed.

He picked up the soft plush crow, kissing it on the beak. It had been Qrow's idea to use the toy, a present from Ruby some while back, as a marker. A sign that Qrow had needed to fly, to get away for a while. And that he wouldn't be gone too long.

Clover's brief anxiety was quickly dispelled as he settled back under the covers, the crow tucked snugly in the crook of his elbow. In a few minutes, he was asleep once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to [Sorkari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorkari/pseuds/Sorkari) for helping once again with my _Is it M or is it E_ dilemma.  
> 


	25. Chapter 25

The truth is just hiding  
Bigotry hungry for power  
But I will say no  
Never lose my hope  
_Serenity - Follow Me_

❖

Clover slowly surfaced from sleep, peering at the clock in the half-light. It was ten past six— _another twenty minutes_ —so he rolled over to face the centre of the bed. Qrow lay facing him, eyes still closed, breath light. The plush crow lay between them like a small child, its beak resting against Qrow's chin.

As Clover's eyes grew accustomed the dim light, he could see the face of the sleeping man more clearly. Qrow appeared younger when asleep; his brow was clear, his mouth relaxed. _I want to be with him when we're old. I want us to raise a family, and always be together._ Clover knew there were bad times coming, and he knew there was a good chance there would be casualties, maybe even fatalities. He refused to contemplate a future without Qrow. _If he changes his mind... that's different. But if we love each other, then it_ has _to be okay._

A corner of his methodical brain knew that making these kinds of deals with the future was nonsensical. But he thought it all the same.

Clover raised a hand to Qrow's face, stroking one cheek softly. After a moment, Qrow opened one eye. "Is it time already?" His voice was bleary with sleep.

"Another fifteen minutes till the alarm. Everything okay?"

"Mmm. Went out for a bit. Feel better now."

Clover took the toy bird and put it carefully on the nightstand. "Little Qrow did his job well."

"That's good."

Qrow wasn't making any attempt to wake up, so Clover slid an arm underneath him and pulled him close. "Thank you for yesterday evening. That was special."

"Mmm, it was. Those strawberries were very nice." Qrow smirked against Clover's chest.

"You know what I mean, Branwen." Clover's hand brushed the side of Qrow's waist, light enough to tickle. Qrow squirmed.

"Alright, don't start. I do know, and yes, it was special. You're special."

"Funny how you don't mind being nice to me when your face is buried in my chest."

Qrow looked up at him. "Sorry, sunbeam. You know how I feel, don't you? It's only... sometimes I find it hard to just say it. Out in the open. Don't know why. But... I still mean it." Qrow pressed his face against Clover's chest once more. "I love you to the shattered moon and back. There."

"Oh Qrow, you sentimental sweetheart." Clover laughed, kissing the top of his head and holding him tightly. "But... you're alright? You haven't been out at night for a while now."

"No, it's fine. After all that stuff yesterday, my brain was getting a bit... overworked. Going out cleared it up, pretty much."

Clover hugged him closer. "I'm glad." He huffed out a slow breath. "Let's just have a cuddle before the alarm goes off."

"Fine by me." Qrow was already drifting back into sleep, the warmth against his cheek a soothing presence.

❖

Jaune and Ruby were waiting outside the meeting room when Qrow and Clover arrived. Jaune was standing very straight, his fingers plucking at the red sash around his waist. Ruby fidgeted from foot to foot, running up to Qrow as the two men appeared.

"At last you're here, we've been waiting for _ages_."

"It's only been about five minutes, Ruby. Good morning Qrow, Captain." Jaune's voice was overly formal; Qrow did his best to suppress a small smile.

"'Morning, kid. No Winter yet?" Qrow peered through the glass panel of the door.

"It doesn't look like it. And Jaune, you can call me Clover, if you're happy with that."

"Of course, Cap— Clover. Sorry."

"That's fine, no problem. But let's go in and wait, shall we?"

Clover opened the door and flicked the light switch. Glancing around, he noted that there were enough chairs already there.

"Ruby, do you and Jaune want to pull those two chairs over to the table? Then we'll be good to go when the others get here."

The four of them sat down, Qrow scowling as he took a sip of his vending machine tea. "Why do they even call this tea? It's obviously never been near a tea leaf in its life."

"My hot chocolate is very palatable." Clover smirked at him across the table.

"Hmph. Well, how fortunate for you."

Despite his nocturnal flight, Qrow was still feeling out of sorts this morning. Although he had to admit, things didn't seem quite so bad when he looked at Clover's face, brows currently drawn into a frown as he studied his scroll. Qrow stretched out a foot and rubbed Clover's leg under the table.

"Mmm?" Clover said distractedly. He raised his eyes and peered at Qrow, before returning to his scroll, blushing heavily.

Qrow grinned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone." Robyn's voice caused them all to look towards the door, as the two women entered. Winter followed her in, face even paler than usual, eyes downcast.

Jaune started to rise from his seat, but sat down quickly when he saw that everyone else remained seated. Robyn and Winter took the two spare seats, and Robyn looked round the table, eyebrows slightly raised at the sight of Ruby and Jaune.

"We reckoned it was time to bring in the team leaders," Clover explained. "They're going to be responsible for organising their teams as we address things in the next few days."

Robyn acknowledged his comment with a nod. "Winter and I visited Schnee this morning, which is why we're a bit late."

Winter glanced at her as she continued. "We decided we needed to find out quickly whether he was telling the truth about these Dust developments. It seems that he was."

"Dust developments?" Ruby and Jaune spoke as one.

"Ah, of course. Let me just outline where we are at the moment." Clover looked at Winter. "If that's okay? You can add anything I might have missed, Winter."

"Please, proceed." Winter glanced sideways at Robyn, who rested a hand briefly on the other woman's arm.

Clover summarised all they had learned over the past few days. Ruby and Jaune's faces mirrored each other as their eyes widened, fearful expressions taking over as they learned the enormity of the situation.

"Is there anything I missed?"

Winter shook her head. "No, that sums it up admirably, Ebi. Do you have any questions?" She raised an eyebrow towards the two young team leaders.

"It— it's a lot to take in." Jaune's voice trembled. "But... what must we do now? How can we help the people in Mantle? In Atlas?"

Qrow's heart swelled a little in his chest. _These kids. They put some people to shame._ He tried to banish the thought of Jacques Schnee from his mind.

"Spoken like a true Happy Huntress," smiled Robyn. "That's what this meeting is for. To decide what needs to be done, and who is best placed to do it."

  


After a couple of hours, they had thrashed out a plan. _Robyn's the ideal person for a situation like this,_ thought Winter. _She can cut through to the core of what's needed, without any fuss or extraneous waffling. Someone after my own heart._

"Wouldn't you agree, Winter?"

Winter's gaze flew to Robyn's face, as she realised she'd not been paying attention. Flushing a little, she asked Robyn to repeat what she'd said.

"It's important to get all military personnel on side. We can achieve so much more, if we work together." Robyn smiled at Winter, who nodded vigorously.

"Yes, quite so. Ebi, we should call an all-hands meeting, as soon as possible. We do not want ill-informed rumours starting to spread."

"Exactly. We can do that by this afternoon, and we need to visit the R&D department, to make sure we know where we're at with these Dust developments."

"Right then." Robyn looked at the intense faces around the table. "We have locations suitable for evacuations, and they need to be prepped to receive the evacuees. I've noted the points we need to consider; here you are." She sent the note to the others seated at the table.

"Qrow, can you assist Ruby and Jaune in organising teams to prepare the locations? Any other suitable premises that can be identified should be scouted out too. Clover, can some of your team join my people in Mantle? We need to start requisitioning heating and lighting equipment, bedding, food... it's all on the list."

Ruby looked up from her scroll. "Will the people in Mantle cooperate? They don't have the best opinion of the army right now."

Clover and Qrow exchanged a glance. Ruby always managed to ask the difficult, yet pertinent, questions.

Robyn nodded. "Good point. That's why I want it to be obvious we're all working together. That should instil a feeling of trust down there. And I'll speak to my people, and make sure our extended network knows the score."

Clover raised his eyebrows. _Extended network?_ _We really had no idea..._ He silently thanked the Brothers for Robyn Hill. She was exactly what they needed right now.

He coughed, glancing at Qrow before he spoke. "Uh, I want to go and see the General... if that's okay with you?" He looked around at the others. Winter was frowning; Qrow's face was stormy.

"Why d'you want to see that bastard?"

Clover heaved a sigh. "I know how you feel, Qrow. I feel the same. And I know you saw him yesterday, Winter. But— I need to speak to him. To satisfy myself... no, that's not right. I want to know if there's _anything_ more he can tell us, before..."

Winter nodded at him. "It's perfectly fine with me, Ebi. Maybe he'll be more useful today. In the meantime, I will produce a document to summarise all we have decided, and what we need to prioritise, so everyone makes the best use of their time."

Clover got to his feet. "I'll visit the General now, and I'll come and see you when I've finished, Winter. We can speak with R&D then."

Qrow stood up, walking round to touch Clover on the shoulder. They stepped a little to one side, and he spoke softly in Clover's ear. "Don't let him screw with you, will you? I can come too if you like."

"It's okay, Qrow. We have too much to do, and... I want to hear what he has to say, from his own mouth. It won't take long, and I'll let you know what happens. You be careful down in Mantle, won't you?"

"You bet. I'm looking forward to a quiet night in, this evening."

"Quiet night in? Like yesterday, you mean? I think we ate all the strawberries." Clover grinned as he kissed Qrow on the cheek.

"True, but we can improvise." Qrow gave Clover a quick hug, as he glanced across at Ruby, standing with her arms folded and tapping her foot impatiently. Jaune was looking at the floor as though he'd never seen such an interesting carpet.

"Right kids, let's go." Qrow left the room, blowing a kiss to Clover as he did so.

"Really, Ebi. You two are like lovestruck teenagers." Winter suppressed a smile as she gathered up some papers from the table.

"I'm sorry, Winter. But it's no bad thing; I thoroughly recommend it." He risked a glance at Robyn, who was watching him, one eyebrow raised. Her lips twitched.

"Winter, can you assign Elm and Marrow to assist Robyn? I'll get off now, and catch up with you in a short while."

Winter glanced from him to Robyn, her cheeks slightly flushed. She nodded wordlessly, and Clover left the room. Robyn pushed her chair under the table, and straightened herself.

"He has a point, you know." She watched Winter carefully as the other woman tugged at her jacket, smoothing out invisible creases.

"About Elm and Marrow, you mean?" Winter could not meet Robyn's eyes as the atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken around them.

Robyn laughed. "Is this you playing hard-to-get, Winter?"

Winter's pale skin, which had been getting pinker all the while, was now rosy as she finally looked at Robyn.

"I— no, I wouldn't do that. I was being deliberately obtuse, I'm sorry. Ebi has become more... playful, since he and Qrow began—"

"Dating? Yeah, you're right. He's more human now."

Winter bit her lip. "I don't believe I could ever be as... relaxed, as he is."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe you'd like to find out?"

Winter's breath caught in her chest. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, would you like it if we went out somewhere? Together? When you're not in uniform?" Robyn smiled warmly, as Winter gazed at her.

"I would like that," she said finally. "Although, the advisability of embarking on such a course, at this moment, might not—"

Robyn took a few steps to stand by Winter, and reached for her hand.

"These days, there's never a good time. And if everything falls in a heap, then at least we can comfort each other. So, I'll give you a call later, if that's okay?"

Winter looked down at their clasped hands. "That's okay." Her voice was little more than a whisper, as Robyn brushed the lightest of kisses over her knuckles, before stepping back.

"Time to go, then. You'd better see me off the premises," she laughed.

Winter smiled, and they left the room together.

❖

Winter had told Clover of her visit the previous day, yet he wasn't sure what to expect. The General was lying on his bed, hands pressed together, the fingertips resting against his chin. His head swivelled towards the door as Clover entered.

Clover swallowed painfully. It hurt him to see his superior—a man he had admired and respected for so many years—brought so low.

 _But this is entirely his own doing,_ Clover reminded himself. His hand, which he raised in a salute which was, by his standards, no more than perfunctory, fell down.

"General, good morning, sir. Permission to stand easy." _Old habits die hard, I guess._

Clover watched as the General slowly got to his feet. His blue eyes were fixed on Clover's face, a visible tic at his temple marring the otherwise impassive features.

"Good morning, Specialist— Clover. And yes, of course." James sighed deeply and walked the few paces which took him to the desk. He leant on the edge with one hand, as if he was unable to stand without support.

"Are you— eating, sir?"

"What? Oh, yes, yes, of course. My appetite is a little reduced, unsurprisingly."

Clover considered the man standing before him. "Permission to speak freely, sir."

The General regarded him with a thin-lipped smile. "I would expect nothing less, given the circumstances."

Clover took a step forward into the room, crossing his arms over his chest. "You need to explain to me exactly what you've been doing, and then you need to give us whatever help you can, to forestall the worst of what is undoubtedly to come."

The General stared at Clover, one eyelid twitching. "It's almost certainly too late. She will—"

"You mean Salem?" Clover's voice was louder than he'd intended. "Say her name! If you've been communicating with her... say her name."

The silence in the room was absolute, as Clover stared into the eyes of his superior officer.

"Salem will destroy everything. Jacques... I was a naive fool to imagine his plan would ever succeed." James' whispered words sank one by one into the plain grey carpet.

"So, why, then?" Clover could not begin to comprehend what had set the General's feet on this path.

James looked at him, his eyes glistening. "I didn't know how to... we couldn't save _everyone_ , Clover. I was trying to maximise... I hoped that this way, the casualties would be minimised. I was at my wit's end—"

"So, you plotted with _Jacques Schnee_? A man I wouldn't trust to protect his own family if he thought there was profit in selling them off."

"He was plausible, and it was the only option I had. I—"

"Did you never think to consult with us?"

The General returned to the bed and sat down, his body seeming to fold in on itself. "I have failed Atlas, and I have failed Mantle. There is nothing that can be done. When she... when Salem arrives, if we have nothing for her, maybe she will leave."

Clover stared at him. "General, you are deluded. If everything we believe we know of her is true, she will not show mercy to anyone. You cannot make a deal with someone like Salem." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't understand how you allowed Jacques Schnee to persuade you this disastrous plan would succeed. It will lead to devastation on an enormous scale. How could you?"

The General's eyes were expressionless, his hands picking at the knees of his trousers. "I allowed myself to be persuaded by a ruthless man. It was the height of stupidity and there is no excuse. But—" He stood suddenly, startling Clover, who took a step backwards. "I was looking to the future, Clover. Jacques assured me we wouldn't need to give her the Staff, that Atlas would be protected, with the enhanced Dust technology—"

"Yes, I've heard about that. So why not do that anyway? Why use her to bring Mantle to its knees?"

James rubbed a hand over his face. "He said it was the only way. He said the casualties would be minimal. He said—"

"I don't give a fuck what Schnee said. It doesn't mean you had to believe him."

The General gaped at Clover. He couldn't recall ever hearing the soldier swear in that way before.

"Yes, I'm angry. In fact, angry doesn't begin to cover it. But... I think I may be able to see a way forward. No, don't—" Clover held up a hand to prevent the General from speaking. "I need to think this through, to be sure..." He looked into James' face. "How did you know how to contact her?"

"It was Watts. He—"

"Wait a minute. He knew you'd been arrested— he'll have told her. We didn't pick him up until last night. Gods, she's probably already on her way." Clover clasped both hands behind his head, wanting nothing more than to curl into a ball and hope it would all go away. He took a shuddering breath, and stood up straight.

"Right, well, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to speak to the others, we're going to formulate a plan, and if we need you to do anything to help, you're going to do it. Yes?" He fixed James with a cold stare.

The General got to his feet, his eyes never leaving Clover's face.

"Yes."


	26. Chapter 26

Every heartbeat, every breath  
Will show my will to fight  
Every scar upon my skin  
A path into the light  
_Unbroken - Beyond the Black_

❖

Clover walked away from the prison area. His barely-contained anger had cooled a little, and now he fought to hold back the nausea which threatened to overtake him. His future, and that of everyone he knew, could be snuffed out in a matter of days, and the world would turn dark.

He stopped by a window and opened it a small way, breathing in the chill air and allowing his stomach to settle. He took out his scroll with trembling fingers and called Qrow. After a moment, the call was answered, and Qrow's husky voice was against Clover's ear.

"What's up, Cloves?"

"Everything, yet... nothing, so long as I can hear your voice." Clover felt a prickling behind his eyelids. "Where are you, birdy?"

"Just heading down to Mantle with Nora and Harriet to check out reports of Grimm activity near the border wall... is that okay? Did you need me for anything? Well, apart from the obvious."

Clover smiled at the smirk in Qrow's voice. "No, you're fine doing that. I— I just wanted to hear your voice, and to tell you— I love you, Qrow."

"Hold on Cloves, are you alright? Oh fuck, what has Jimmy said to you?"

"He said quite a bit, and I'll fill you in later. Right now, Winter and I have plenty to do up here, so you go and deal with the Grimm, and we can catch up when you get back. And I'm fine, don't worry. There's a lot to sort out, that's all."

"Well, you're not wrong there. I'll come and find you when we get back. And—" Qrow broke off and Clover heard a muffled conversation as he spoke to someone at his end. "Right, we're off. And I love you, you know. Lots."

Clover smiled. "Bye for now, Qrow." He looked at his scroll as the call ended, the sick feeling now replaced by a firm determination. He called another number.

"Winter, I got some useful intel from the General. You and I need to get to R&D as soon as possible."

He listened as she replied, saying, "Right, meet you there." Closing the call and pocketing his scroll, he closed the window before striding down the corridor.

❖

Two hours later, Winter and Clover sat in the mess hall with a hot drink and a pastry in front of each of them. Lunchtime had passed them by as they visited the labs, confirming the status of the work which was continuing on the Dust enhancements. Then a meeting with the middle ranking officers to apprise them of the current situation had, not surprisingly, run on into the early afternoon.

"How are you doing, Winter?"

Winter was pulling her pastry into small portions, placing one piece at a time into her mouth. She looked at Clover, taking a sip of her coffee before answering.

"A little more optimistic after our meetings this morning, I have to say. Although... I wish we had more time."

"Yes, that would be preferable, of course. But I'm feeling better too... a bit, anyway. We have a plan, and that's something we can push off from. A launchpad, so to speak."

Winter gave a brittle laugh. "Launchpad. Not literally, I hope."

Clover's smile was thin-lipped. "Well, no. But— a plan is a plan, and even if it's not perfect, it's the best we have. It's just a question of trying to get everyone away, so when she arrives, any casualties will be minimal. Hopefully."

Winter ate the last few pieces of her pastry, draining her coffee cup and wiping her mouth. "So, what now?"

Clover pushed his plate away and drew his mug of hot chocolate towards him. "I'll go through it with Qrow when he gets back. Will you bring Robyn up to speed? She can decide who she wants to tell in her team, and Qrow and I can update the hunters and the other Ops." He took a slurp, wiping the froth from his upper lip, before adding, "I'll tell the General too. We'll need him when the time comes."

Winter heard the change in Clover's voice, and observed the tightness of his mouth. "How— how _was_ he, when you saw him? Emotionally, I mean?"

"He seemed... diminished. Less sure of himself, and his decisions. Which makes sense." Clover frowned. "And he seems contrite. Like he wants to make amends."

"Hmph. It's a little late in the day for a change of heart."

"I know, but... we can make use of him, Winter. I was so angry with him, and... he's lost everything he ever had. There's no way back for him, and he knows it."

He finished his drink, and they returned their plates and cups in silence. The mess hall was almost empty, the few stragglers who remained talking in low voices. Several pairs of eyes followed Clover and Winter as they left.

"Nothing will ever be the same again, will it?" Clover wasn't sure if Winter was talking to him, or herself. "Whether we defeat her, or not... everything will change."

"Most things, yes. And in some cases, that'll be good." Clover stopped walking as they came to the end of the corridor. "We just have to get through the next however many days it will be."

Winter looked up at him, resting her hand briefly on his arm. She squeezed gently, before turning and walking briskly down the corridor. Clover watched her go, his forehead creased and lips pinched. He pulled out his scroll and tapped out a message to Qrow.

❖

"Thanks for coming back... it wasn't a problem leaving Nora and Hare, was it?"

"Nah, they were fine. Weiss and Blake showed up, and we'd cleared most of the Grimm already, so... not a problem." Qrow finished drying himself as he spoke to Clover through the open bathroom door.

"Mmm, that's better. I feel ready for anything, now." He wrapped the towel around his waist, pausing by the bed to look across at Clover. His smile dwindled at the younger man's expression. "Though I'm guessing you didn't want me to come back just so we could go to bed?"

Clover jumped up from the chair, pulling Qrow into a close hug. "There's nothing I'd enjoy more, you know that. But we've no time, Qrow. I need to talk things through with you, make sure I'm not missing anything."

Qrow leaned back, kissing him on the forehead. "Let me get dressed, and you can tell me all about it."

Clover rested his head on Qrow's chest. The older man's arms about him were a safe haven, a refuge from what was coming. They had to try and consider any weaknesses in their plan, but he felt safe. For now.

"So, let's see if I've got this right." Qrow spoke slowly, his voice a comforting rumble against Clover's cheek. "The enhanced Hard-Light Dust shield will give Atlas more protection from attack from the air. A container infused with No-Light Dust is ready for the Staff, and when the Staff is deactivated it'll be hidden, in a room also protected with No-Light Dust. Just to be safe."

"So far, so good." Clover found it reassuring to hear Qrow spell out their ideas. It made things seem more definite.

"Hah! Better keep a note of where this magic room is— you might have trouble finding it later."

"This isn't a laughing matter, Qrow."

"I know, sunbeam. It's only my coping mechanism; just ask Weiss. She's ticked me off about it often enough." Qrow nuzzled his face against Clover's hair. "You cosy down there?"

"Mmm. This is my happy place." Clover kissed Qrow's chest. "Go on, though."

"Okay, so Atlas is protected and the Staff is ready to be hidden. Now comes the tricky bit."

"You have a wonderful way of understating the situation, sometimes."

"Thank you." Qrow gave Clover another hug. "Right, so using the enhanced super-strength Gravity Dust, Atlas is kept in the air even when the Staff is removed and hidden. I have no idea how this is supposed to work, but you said the lab people were confident."

" _Fairly_ confident," amended Clover. "They wouldn't commit one-hundred-percent— then again, they never do. They've run any number of simulations, so..."

"So the reality could still be disastrous." Qrow's voice was sombre. "What are the potential problems, did they say?"

"Mainly stability issues. There could be tremors, until the transition is complete."

Qrow was silent. He tried not to imagine of all the ways things could go wrong.

"And then?" prompted Clover.

"Then... well, hopefully Mantle is evacuated by then. And... we wait." Qrow huffed out a breath. "At some point, Salem will show up, presumably with a battalion of Grimm. Although—" his voice tailed off. "If their original plan was to hand over the Staff—at least, that's what they told her—then she wouldn't be expecting a huge battle... I dunno, I've no idea how her mind works."

"The General will tell Salem she cannot have the Staff." Clover's voice was hard. "What happens then, to some extent, depends on her. But... we will be ready."

❖

The teams arrived back from their work on the tundra, joining the others who were waiting to return to Atlas after their day in Mantle. They boarded the transport quietly, a few muted, sporadic conversations all that broke the silence. The usual adrenaline-fuelled aftermath of a day battling Grimm was missing— it had been a long, exhausting time for all of them. The craft lifted into the air, and Elm breathed out a long sigh. The Ops had faced plenty of tough opposition in the past, and what was coming would be their hardest test yet. She looked around at the wan faces either side of her. _Whatever happens, we're lucky to have this lot on our side._

Ruby stared into the distance, uncharacteristically subdued. Weiss was seated beside her, and she took Ruby's hand silently, giving it a small squeeze.

Blake and Yang sat pressed together, Yang's hand clasped between Blake's, golden hair mingling with black. Blake's lips moved, but her words were only for Yang.

Everyone else slumped with their eyes closed, or gazing at the floor. Anything more was too much effort.

The transport set down with a jolt. They all disembarked and began to walk back to the barracks, small groups forming as the prospect of hot food spurred them on.

"Did your day go okay?" Jaune's voice was hesitant as he fell into step beside Marrow, glancing up at the other's face.

"Yeah. Robyn is so efficient... she scares me a bit."

Jaune laughed. "I know what you mean... these older, assertive women are everywhere."

"You sound like you're not so keen." Marrow felt his heart beating just a bit faster.

"I dunno..." Jaune tailed off. "Sometimes I think people see me as a kid, you know? Some brave little soldier doing his best." His voice was bitter.

"Not everyone." Marrow swallowed. "I get you, though. People get an idea in their head, and you can't shift it."

His footsteps slowed, and Jaune glanced back at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. It's not you... you're different. It's just—"

Jaune decided to be bold. "Do you fancy grabbing a coffee?"

Marrow had stopped completely. "Yeah, I do." His tail, which had been a limp rope before, perked up a little as they continued on their way.

The mess hall was reasonably busy, but they had no trouble finding a spare table. Marrow sat down, arranging his tail comfortably before picking up the cup of coffee and taking a slow sip.

"The thing is," he continued, as though there had been no break in the conversation, "I sometimes wonder why I'm here. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's what I want to do. But... I never wanted to be a trailblazer. A figurehead, a poster boy for Faunus achievement. _Look at this Faunus, he's doing so well, if he can do it, what's stopping you?_ I get the feeling when people look at me, all they see is the tail."

"It's a very nice tail. Uh sorry, should I even say that?" Jaune glanced at him before looking away, his face reddening. He didn't notice Marrow's soft smile.

"I don't mind if _you_ say it." He picked up his cup and put it down again, twisting it back and forth. Jaune risked a quick look at Marrow as he stared at his own cup, teeth catching at his lower lip.

"Um, I might be a bit slow at times, but... gods, I don't know how to put it." Jaune laughed nervously, looking around the room as if he expected all eyes to be on him.

"You said you liked my tail," prompted Marrow, his eyes still focussed on his coffee. "Does that mean... look, Jaune." He took a deep breath and slid his hand slowly across the table. His fingertips made the lightest contact possible with Jaune's fingers, curled around his cup.

Jaune peeked up at the other man. "I'm not very good at this."

"That makes two of us, then." Marrow ran one finger across the back of Jaune's hand. "But if you want, we can be bad at it together?"

Jaune made a noise which was a combination of a gulp, a laugh, and a cough. He took a sip of his coffee to steady himself, which proved to be a mistake.

Marrow tried not to laugh as he grabbed a paper napkin and blotted the table. "Sorry, Jaune, but that _was_ funny. Are you okay now?"

Jaune rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand, his face very red. "Smooth operator, that's me." He grinned at Marrow, an unexpected recklessness overtaking him. "Reckon you can keep up?"

"I'm happy to give it a go. But... maybe we should hang out somewhere else. D'you fancy meeting up in the common room, later? We could watch a film... or play a game, or... something?"

"That sounds better. And I promise not to spit all over the table again."

"My ideal date." Marrow smiled as a feeling of relief washed over him. Despite all the bad stuff happening around them, he and Jaune had taken the tiniest of steps together. And that was enough for now.

❖

Clover wasn't certain what had woken him. He reached across to Qrow, but the other side of the bed was empty, the sheets cold. There was no sign of Qrow, or Little Qrow either. He sat up in bed, the darkness of the room cut by a sliver of silvery moonlight. Waiting a moment so his eyes could become accustomed to the gloom, he heard a sound from the bathroom. Scratching his head, he went to investigate.

The light in the bathroom wasn't on, but Clover could just make out the figure on the floor. Qrow was sitting between the toilet and the basin, his arms wrapped around his bent knees. He glanced up as Clover crouched in front of him.

"What's happening, Qrow? Are you not well?" He rested a hand on Qrow's shoulder.

"I woke up with cramp, then I got these stupid stomach pains, and I felt sick, but I didn't want to disturb you, so I—"

"Have you thrown up?"

"No, I just felt queasy. I couldn't find any crackers..." Qrow looked up at Clover, his eyes glistening in the pale light which bled through from the bedroom.

"Come on, up you get." Clover stood and took Qrow's hand, pulling him upright. "I'll go and get some crackers from the common room if we don't have any here."

Qrow allowed himself to be led back into the bedroom, and Clover nudged him towards the bed. "Let me put the lamp on, and I'll be back in a sec."

Clover found an unopened box of crackers at the back of a cupboard, and came back with a handful, along with a glass of water. Qrow was sitting up, fingers plucking fitfully at the bedspread. Clover put the glass down and passed the crackers to Qrow, who immediately munched two at once. He gulped down some water, eating another cracker as Clover sat back on his side of the bed.

"How's that?"

Qrow put the glass down again, placing the remaining crackers alongside it. "A bit better, thanks." He kept his eyes averted from Clover, who looked at him with a worried frown.

"How's the cramp now? Do you want me to rub your legs?"

Qrow sniffed. "What did I do to deserve you, Clover? 'Cause you sure don't deserve to be saddled with me."

Clover bit back the hasty denial. "That might be your opinion, but I have to disagree, you know." His tone was mild, as he reached out and ran a hand along the side of Qrow's calf. "I can rub them if it'll help."

Qrow swallowed, sniffing loudly. "Maybe a little bit."

"Come on, then." Clover pulled back the covers as Qrow settled on his front, head pillowed on his folded arms. The other man considered him for a moment, before moving down the bed and starting to rub his hand firmly along Qrow's leg.

"What are you thinking, birdy?" Clover's voice was soft, as his hand moved to the other leg.

Qrow turned his head to face Clover. "It's nothing, really. Well, nothing new. I know we have this plan, and... I know it's the best it can be, given the circumstances. But— all I can see is the ways it can fail. The ways in which we all—"

Clover's hand pressed more firmly. "We aren't all going to die, Qrow. We've got a huge task to accomplish, but we know what's required. In a way, this has turned out for the best."

Qrow propped his head on one hand, peering up at him. "How can you say that? You're ignoring the facts, you're blinkered..." his voice rose as he scowled at Clover.

"No, but listen. Salem was always going to come after the Relics, right? But we never knew when... now we do. And of course, more time to prepare would be better. Now we know what we have to do, and we know pretty much when we have to do it. That makes the job easier."

Qrow frowned at him. "You're saying that just to make me feel better."

Clover smiled. "Maybe a little. But it's true, though. I wouldn't lie to you, Qrow." His face became more serious. "I know it won't be easy. But we're all on the same side, looking out for each other. That counts for a lot." He leant down and put his mouth against Qrow's ear. "And if any gods-damned witch woman tries to hurt my man, it'll be the last thing on Remnant she does," he whispered.

Qrow rolled over, unable to keep the smile from his face. "You're the light of my life, Cloves." His cheeks reddened as he raised a hand to Clover's grinning face. "And that probably won't be the last time I embarrass myself over the next few days."

"I can take it, if you can." Clover kissed him gently. "You ready for more sleep, now?"

"Yeah, why not?" Qrow dragged the covers back up the bed, as Clover turned off the lamp. He turned on his side and wriggled back against the younger man.

Clover slid an arm underneath him, the other wrapping around his waist. "Is this comfortable? I need you close to me."

Qrow rested his arm across Clover's. "It's perfect."

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly comments always appreciated, thank you.
> 
> There are lots of people out there who know far more about the RWBY-verse than I ever will. If I've made any glaring mistakes, please let me know.  
> Thank you to my son and daughter who helped with proof-reading and advice on RWBY specifics.


End file.
